Quiescis
by ko-chan-the-blueberry-donut
Summary: She remembered Shiny Chariot's show like it was happening right in front of her at that very moment. She remembered the twinkling of the lights, the roar of the dragon, the cheers of the crowd. Then silence. Deaf Akko. Akkocentric. Akko-centric
1. Chapter 1

Title: Quiescis  
Rating: T  
Pairing(s): Akko-centric  
Genre(s): Friendship/Humor/Drama/Hurt/Comfort/Romance  
Summary: She remembered Shiny Chariot's show like it was happening right in front of her at that very moment. She remembered the twinkling of the lights, the roar of the dragon, the cheers of the crowd. Then silence. Deaf Akko!

Disclaimer: I don't own Little Witch Academia.

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" _Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance."_

—Samuel Johnson

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Chapter One:

 _Akko squirmed excitedly in her seat, waiting for the show to start. It was her sixth birthday, and her parents decided to take her to see someone named Shiny Chariot's magic show. Akko could hardly wait—she wondered if Shiny Chariot would be like Mickey Mouse from Fantasia or Sailor Moon. Maybe she was like both!_

 _Suddenly, the stars twinkled above, and a bright light sprung from the expanse of the night sky. The bright light came closer, and Akko was able to see a beautiful white bird flying towards them. She stood up in her seat, wanting to get a closer look. The bird whooshed past her, creating a strong wind. Akko clutched her witch hat close, her eyes sparkling in anticipation. The bird flew towards the stage, expanding into an orb of light, before transforming into the form of a young woman. Akko gasped—this must be was Shiny Chariot!_

" _Welcome to the land of magic!" Shiny Chariot exclaimed. Akko jumped, her parents giving her chuckles at her obvious display of enthusiasm. Shiny Chariot extended her hand. "Reach out…" she began, and a magic staff appeared in her awaiting hand. Trails of light swirled around her as she twirled. "And your story will begin!" the woman yelled, casting a wave of water, surfing on top of it. Akko quietly held her breath, not wanting to drown, but the water immediately vanished, and the little girl glanced above her. The entire audience was incased into a galaxy of space, with millions of stars surrounding them. Akko looked down at her feet, finding them floating in the galaxy, and she squealed happily._

 _Shiny Chariot continued her show, flying past the audience, circling around to the stage, diving in and out of space, lights splashing with each action. She transformed herself into a mermaid, then an angel, and then a centaur galloping across the sky. A light burst forth from Akko in the form of a pixie, and she watched it join other images of light in awe. Shiny Chariot smiled, before she gasped, the lights combining together to form a ferocious dragon. The little girl screamed but didn't cower into her mother like some of the other kids. Shiny Chariot threw her hat, causing it to transform into the giant bird from before, and she sailed upon it towards the beast crying, "Noctu Orfei Aude Fraetor!" the staff turned into a bow and arrow. The witch pulled back the string and let it lose towards the monster. "Shiny Arc!" she shouted, letting the arrow fly into the creature's mouth. The dragon swallowed it whole, exploding into a symphony of fireworks. Akko's mouth dropped open at the beautiful sight. Shiny Chariot shot another arrow, opening up a huge glowing portal into the sky, sparks falling everywhere. She turned towards her audience smiling wide._

" _Don't forget." She beseeched. "It's your belief in yourself that makes up your magic."_

 _With that, she disappeared into the chasm in the sky, a pillar of light illuminating her departure. Sparkles rained down, and Akko rushed forward, catching one in her hands, and clutching it close to her chest, smiling softly. She just stood there, savoring the moment. That was Shiny Chariot…_

 _It wasn't until she felt her mother's hand shaking her shoulder did she jump, turning her wide ruby eyes to the older woman. Akko squinted, watching her mother's mouth move but no sound coming out. She shook her head, not understanding why her mother was not talking, but moving her mouth. Akko opened her mouth, preparing to tell her mother to stop teasing her, when she felt her voice come out, but stopped short when she realized she didn't hear anything. She furrowed her brow, opening her mouth to speak again, but once more, she only felt she was using her voice, and not hearing it. Movement caught her eye and the little girl could see everyone was cheering, but she didn't hear any sound. Fear gripped her, and she turned to her mother, trying in vain to communicate to her. Mrs. Kagari figured out something was wrong, her husband and her growing frantic when they realized something wasn't quite right with their child. She was clutching her throat, tears coming to her eyes, and cried._

" _Why can't I hear?!" she shouted, felling her vocal chords being used, but not the sound being produced from them. Her parents immediately picked her up, taking her away from the audience and rushing to find help. Shiny Chariot's words resonating in her mind._

 _She didn't realize those words would be the last she would ever hear before being plunged into a world of silence…_

* * *

Akko grinned as she shielded her eyes from the bright sun. She clutched her suitcase in her hand and held her handbag in the other.

' _I'm finally here! This is where Shiny Chariot learned her magic!'_ she thought in glee. Years have passed since that fateful performance that changed Akko's life. Shortly after Shiny Chariot's show, it was discovered that she had lost her hearing. Her parents demanded answers, and the doctors were as baffled as they were. Naturally, the family was devastated, not sure of what to do for their daughter, before quickly researching into ways to make it better for her. There was no solution, the doctors said, for someone who has gone completely deaf, but they could connect Akko with resources to help cope with it.

Her parents had pulled her out of school to send her to a school to help her with what they termed "her disability" and Akko was taken from everything she knew to be thrust into an unfamiliar environment and with few ways to communicate. She hated it. She fell into a depression soon after all the change, but Chariot's performance stayed with her, Akko repeating the memories in her mind like a religion in order to not forget what noise sounded like. She hated the world she was cast into—the silence her constant companion. It wasn't until a year later from when she lost her hearing, that she felt Shiny Chariot's words hit her like a burst of inspiration.

" _Don't forget. It's your belief in yourself that makes up your magic."_

It was like a fire was lit in Akko from that moment on. She had forgotten she still had power over her own life—her own magic, and Akko soon began putting effort into what her future could turn into, and not what her past was like. She began dreaming of being like Shiny Chariot, who inspired her to keep going even after she lost her hearing and wanted to be people's source of inspiration to move on from their own troubles. She wanted to make people feel like they weren't alone in the world like she thought she was. Like Shiny Chariot said, if she believed in it, she could make it happen. This belief caused her to force her parents to pull her out of special school, signing to them vigorously that the real world wasn't going to treat her like glass, so neither should she or her parents. She enrolled into a regular school the following year, and while not full-proof, learned the skill of lip reading. By the time she had discovered Luna Nova, she felt more capable than ever, and told her parents her intentions.

Naturally, they were very wary of the idea of their daughter leaving Japan to be by herself in a foreign country, but Akko signed "Don't worry! I am learning SSE!" to assuage their worries. It took a lot of convincing, but soon her parents joined in her efforts to contact Luna Nova's headmistress, and Akko recorded a video, signing excitedly in amateur Sign Support English "I would love to go to your school! It's my dream to make others happy with my magic!"

The headmistress had replied with her own video surprisingly, signing in Sign Supported English that she would love to have Akko enroll, making Akko squeal in excitement while her parents hugged her, signing to her how proud and happy for her they were.

And now, finally she was here in Great Britain! She was getting closer to her dream by the second! And if the headmistress knew sign, then she was excited at the prospect of the students also knowing sign. At her old school, Japanese Sign Language was shared amongst the students when Akko had joined, each wanting to understand and communicate with their classmate easier. She hoped Luna Nova was just like her old school.

Akko did a twirl in happiness, almost tittering off balance, and grabbed her bags. She hurriedly made her way across town, searching for the bus stop to take her to Luna Nova. The young teen had a bounce in her step, as she nodded a greeting to everyone she passed by. She approached an old woman sitting at a bench. She gave a bow in respect, opening her mouth to speak "Hello! Do you know where's the bus stop to Luna Nova?"

The woman gave her a confused look, as if she didn't understand her, and Akko blushed, realizing she spoke in her native language rather than English. She cleared her throat, trying again.

"Bus stop? Luna Nova?" she said, sure she was screwing up her English badly. She eventually had to bring out a notepad, making sure to write in English and gave it to the old woman. Reading it, the old woman shook her head, and Akko gave her a smile and left. She continued showing her notepad to residents in the town, each shaking their heads no—some had attempted to speak to her, but realizing she was deaf, didn't really bother continuing. This didn't deter Akko though—she would find the bus stop eventually!

However, the possibility of that happening seemed to diminish as more time passed, and Akko begrudgingly took out her map, searching for a clue.

' _How do they expect me to find this place?!'_ Akko furrowed her brow in impatience. She followed the road with her eyes, coming across a tower where it listed 'Leyline Terminal'. She glanced above the map, staring straight at a replica of the tower on the map. She double checked the drawing before grinning, _'I found it!'_

She raced towards the tower with her spirits renewed. Her eyes didn't leave the structure, smile wide, and not looking to where she was going. A sudden collision with someone threw her off balance, causing her to fall to the ground, her stuff flying everywhere.

"S-sorry." Akko said, unconsciously using Japanese to address the girl. A paper was on the ground, catching her attention, and she found it was the same Luna Nova brochure she had! Akko quickly turned her head, finding another girl with mauve hair, covering one of her eyes, picking up a broom from the ground. Akko's eyes sparkled.

' _A student of Luna Nova!'_ she thought, her hands moving at rapid speed, "Hello! I'm A-K-K-O! You pronounce it like this!" she demonstrated the signs for the sounds _a_ and _ko_ in Japanese Sign as her name. "Anyway, I'm a student at your school! Let's go to the bus terminal together!" she signed in JSL, before realizing she was using the wrong one, and gasped, immediately switching it to Sign Supported English. "Sorry! I am still learning SSE! I'm used to using Pidgin and JSL, but I know that will only get me so far!"

The girl just stared at her blankly as she continued signing. Akko faltered. Could the girl understand her? If she was a student at Luna Nova, then she must know sign like the Headmistress! Maybe she only knew British Sign? Akko hoped not—BSL was vastly different than Sign Supported English, and often difficult to learn from JSL due to different sentence and grammar structure. An idea popped in her head and she retrieved her precious Shiny Chariot card, presenting it to the girl.

"Shiny Chariot? Luna Nova?" Akko spoke uncertainly, not being able to hear herself talking. The girl ignored her and walked towards her fallen stuff, uncapping a potion and pouring it on Akko's stuffed bird. The plushie came to life, and Akko gasped in amazement. A squeak escaped her, and the girl glanced at her before looking back down at the animated plush. Akko held out her arms towards the plush, but it pecked her in the eye. She yelped, nursing her injured eye. The mysterious girl just walked forward, ignoring Akko's cries. The animated bird flew on top of Akko's head as she hastily gathered her things and chased the other girl. Akko eyed her warily, deciding just to follow her and see if maybe she could find another student who could understand her. As they walked toward the tower, Akko spotted three girls her age wearing the Luna Nova uniform. She grinned, racing past the silent girl and towards the other students, readying her free hand to start talking to them, but stopped when she got closer enough, reading their facial expressions as displeasure. What were they disgusted with?

' _Maybe I can make them feel better! It's never too late to start my dream to make people happy!'_ Akko decided, approaching them with a smile. She tapped the girl with red hair on the shoulder, causing the girls to direct their attention to her. She gulped at their critical stares but didn't let that discourage her.

"Hello!" she greeted, making sure she was using SSE. "I'm A-K-K-O! Akko! Are you guys okay? I noticed you were—" here she struggled with a sign, sticking her tongue out in concentration, "Upset! Yes! Upset!" she congratulated herself for a good job, waiting for their reply. They narrowed their eyes at her, the black-haired girl opening her mouth to speak.

"Who are you? What is that weird thing you're doing?" she spoke. Akko absorbed the sentence in her mind, furrowing her brow. Again? Why couldn't anyone understand her signing?

"She can't hear." the girl from earlier appeared, and Akko tilted her head since she was behind her, and therefore not able to read her lips. "My roommate knows Sign, so I recognize it. Her English isn't really that good either so who knows if she can understand you."

"Ah Sucy!" the purple haired girl greeted. The witch, Sucy, didn't say anything more and walked past them, going into the tower.

' _Sucy? Is that her name?'_ Akko logged the information away. She began signing her question, but the three witches glared at her.

"Stop that! We can't understand you!" the red head exclaimed, and Akko read the annoyance clear on her face, wincing. She pointed to herself.

"Akko. You seem sad. Wanted to help." There was a moment of silence before the three witches burst out into laughter, and Akko felt the mean-spirited nature of their laughter rather than heard it.

"Wow, where did you learn English? A preschool?" the black-haired girl snickered. Akko felt shame well up within her. Her parents reassured her her English was fine, but maybe she should've practiced more on sounding out her words…

"Guess you're that new student from a commoner family." The red-haired girl said, smirking. Akko squirmed, understanding her words. "Bet she can't even ride a broom!" Akko wanted to crawl into a hole. They readied their brooms, shouting "Tia Freyre!"

Akko's eyes widened as they ascended from the ground, floating towards a glowing portal. They appeared to be talking to each other about something, but Akko couldn't read their lips from the ground. They disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Akko to frown.

' _What do I do…?'_

* * *

Should I continue this?


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks so much for the responses to this story! Here is the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Little Witch Academia.

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" _There is nothing on this earth more prized than true friendship."_

—Thomas Aquinas

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Chapter Two:

Akko struggled up the stone wall, the animated plush bird holding onto her head tightly as she tried to climb her way up to the Leyline Terminal. How did movies make this look so easy? Right now, she should be like Indiana Jones scaling up the wall to steal some sort of treasure but instead she's a slowbro from Pokemon!

She was yanked from her rantings when a branch broke, causing her to fall flat on her back painfully. The ache caused tears to appear in her eyes, and the reality that she would not be making it to Luna Nova after all hung heavy in the air. Her lips quivered, before her eyes narrowed. No! She wouldn't go out like this! She sat up, glaring up at the ceiling. She will get there! She must try harder!

A tap on her shoulder startled her. She yelped and looked up to find another witch with orange hair and glasses gazing down at her in concern. The newcomer started to speak, and Akko focused on her lips.

"Are you a student? If you don't hurry, you'll be expelled for being late." The girl said. This caused alarm in Akko. Expelled?! No one ever told her that! She stood up quickly, the plush clinging to her hair. She turned to the girl, signing frantically.

"I can't fly! What do I do?!" but the girl gave her a curious stare, and Akko almost screamed in frustration before a smile broke out on the girl's face, holding her hands up and replying.

"I'm sorry! I didn't realize you can't hear! For a second, I didn't recognize you were using SSE! I'm used to using BSL for communicating with deaf spirits here! You wouldn't believe how much they appreciate someone to talk to!" the girl gestured. Akko beamed, relief flooding in her body, and she almost cried in happiness.

"It's okay! I'm A-K-K-O!" Akko excitedly signed. The girl smiled.

"A-K-K-O? What sign do you use for your name?" the other witch asked. Akko demonstrated the JSL sign for _a_ by curling her fingers into a fist with her thumb jutting out to the side, her palm facing the other witch and finishing by bending her fingers in a ninety-degree angle with her thumb pointing towards her for _ko_. The other girl copied her signs, repeating the motion a few times to make sure she was doing it correctly. Akko grinned, nodding that she was doing it right.

"It's nice to meet you, Akko! My name is L-O-T-T-E!" the orange haired girl, Lotte, introduced herself by demonstrating the gestures for her name. Akko imitated the signals, and Lotte grinned, giving her a thumbs up. "You said you can't fly?" Lotte asked her, quickly making the gestures. Akko scrunched up her face and asked for her to repeat it as she is still learning SSE. Lotte repeated her question, finger-spelling certain words, and Akko's eyes lit up in understanding.

"Yes! I can't fly! I didn't know we were supposed to fly there! I'm not from a witch family!" Akko hurriedly explained with her hands. Lotte nodded.

"Don't worry! We can go together!" Lotte offered, the gestures making Akko squeal and hug her in joy, signing gratitude over and over. They boarded Lotte's broom together, and the bird plush laid on Akko's head, ready for flight. "Tia Freyre!" Lotte shouted. Akko gasped when they lifted into the air suddenly, soaring high above the ground. She gripped Lotte tightly, afraid she'll fall off. They flew through the magical highway. However, the ride turned rickety and they held onto the broom tight.

"I guess we're over capacity!" Lotte fretted to herself, knowing that Akko can't hear her and is probably scared. She placed a hand on one of the ones holding her waist and squeezed it to try to reassure the girl. The broom bucked again, and Lotte held Akko's hand tighter, feeling the girl trembling.

Akko clutched Lotte tight as they were knocked around. The plush held onto her desperately while they flew. Suddenly, a huge bout of turbulence struck them, making the girls scream. Some of their stuff was lost in the magical highway. Akko made a noise when she saw her Shiny Chariot card fly away. _'My treasure!'_

"Oh no!" Lotte cried, holding on tight as the broom was knocked around. The animated bird plush was knocked off, and Akko screamed.

"Birdy-san!" without thinking, she dove off the broom after him. Lotte's eyes widened in horror.

"Akko!" she yelled in distress as she saw the girl tumble away. She maneuvered her broom to chase the falling girl.

* * *

Sucy was leisurely flying along the Leyline Terminal reading a book about the legendary Forest of Arcturus. Suddenly, she was pegged in the face by the animated plush she brought to life. It squirmed and clutched her tightly. A shout rang above her and the girl she met earlier face planted straight into her, causing them to be thrown out of Leyline.

* * *

A giant white bird with a yellow puff on his chest cracked an eye open, sensing something amiss. He called to his mistress, wanting her attention for the disturbance he felt. The blue haired woman turned to the bird.

"What's wrong, Alcol?" Ursula asked, curious. Alcol cawed again, and Ursula shut the window, blocking all light and summoning her crystal sphere. The sphere alit with all the constellations and a map was formed. A glowing dot on the map caught her attention and her eyes widened.

"No way! In the forest of Arcturus?" she exclaimed, immediately gathering her broom to fly there.

* * *

Akko groaned, knowing she would be feeling this pain for a while. The branches broke, and she tumbled to the ground in a flop, landing onto something soft.

Yes, she would definitely be feeling this pain for a while…

She felt something light tickle her nose. Akko gasped in excitement when she found it was her Shiny Chariot card. She clutched it close, happy she didn't lose it. Nevertheless, the realization that Birdy-san wasn't with her made her jump up, hastily searching for him.

Sucy rose up from where Akko landed, glaring at the girl. She grabbed the back of Akko's scarf, pulling her to face her. Akko's eyes widened in alarm.

"You're a real pain in the neck." Sucy told her. She was shocked, however, when Akko looked remorseful. She reached into her jacket, pulling out her notepad and scribbling something on it. She handed it to Sucy, who raised an eyebrow.

 _I'm sorry,_ it read, _please help me find Birdy-san._

"Birdy-san?" Sucy questioned. Akko drew a picture of her plush and presented it to the other witch. "That bird was meant to torture you. Why do you want it back?"

 _Birdy-san is my friend!_ Akko wrote. _I don't leave my friends behind!_

"Ah, it seems you didn't come alone." Sucy told her, turning her head to the side where she appeared to have heard something. Akko furrowed her brow, walking toward the direction Sucy was looking. She gasped when she caught sight of Lotte. Akko raced towards Lotte, already signing out questions on her wellbeing. Lotte replied that she was fine. "Hey Lotte, is she really deaf?" Sucy asked her roommate.

Lotte looked indignant at her roommate, signing as she talked to Sucy so Akko could understand what she was saying too.

"Sucy, that's really rude! And don't talk about Akko like she isn't here!" Lotte reprimanded, her signing was vigorous to show her fury as she talked. Sucy just gave her a deadpan stare.

"She can't hear me, so it doesn't matter. She can't even speak English correctly." Sucy commented. Akko scoffed and began signing.

"Don't count me out, Sucy! I may not be able to hear but I can read lips, jerk!"

Lotte translated for Akko, and Sucy shrugged.

"Just saying. Never heard of a deaf witch before. Doubt you'll make it far though." Sucy told her. Akko's eye twitched and was furiously signing stuff Lotte didn't think appropriate to translate.

"I wonder why the Leyline was so rough…" Lotted mused out. She turned towards Akko, asking her, "Did you happen to have any salt on you while we were in the air?"

Akko furrowed her brow, thinking, before reaching into her pocket and presenting a jar, signing.

"Like pickled plums?"

Lotte's eyes widened, hastily signing.

"Salt makes Leyline sensitive! If you were by yourself, you could've been hurt really badly!" Lotte fretted. Akko paled, tossing the jar away in fright.

"No one told me anything! How was I supposed to know all of this?! It's like they were setting me up to fail!" Akko furiously signed, irritation clear on her face, and she kicked a tree. Sucy just watched them sign back and forth in boredom.

"Where are we?" Lotte asked aloud, signing at the same time. Akko shrugged.

"We're in the Forest of Arcturus." Sucy informed them blankly. Akko titled her head, mouthing the title. Lotte gasped.

"The Forbidden Forest?!" Lotte exclaimed. Akko blinked, gesturing her question.

"What do you mean?"

"This is an ancient legendary forest. A holy place protected by magic trees." Lotte explained, fear gripping her as she signed. "Even for a witch it's hard to get out of here!" she panicked, beginning to hyperventilate. Akko rushed forward and placed her hands on Lotte's cheeks, caressing her face. She took deep breaths, watching Lotte do the same. Successfully calming her friend, Akko released her.

"We'll get out." Akko said with certainty, gazing at both Sucy and Lotte. "Find Birdy-san. Then leave." She spoke.

"Birdy-san?" Lotte asked. Sucy sighed.

"I animated a bird plush to tease her and she ended up getting attached like an idiot." Sucy supplied the information. Lotte giggled a bit.

"Let's find Birdy-san then!" Lotte replied verbally, signing as well to include Akko. Akko smiled, thanking her. They began trekking through the trees, the eerie feeling of the forest causing chills down their spines. Nonetheless, Sucy was the only one who didn't appear bothered by the situation, but Lotte knew that rarely anything bothered Sucy. She heard a squeak and stopped Akko and Sucy. She listened intently, hearing the squeak again, and pointed. "I heard something over there!"

They came across items scattered across the ground, and Akko squealed, realizing it was her stuff. There was Birdy-san, fretting at his environment. Akko raced over and held out her arms. Birdy-san flapped over to her, pecking her eye again. Akko yelped, clutching her eye as the plush settled into her head, comfortable at last. Akko glared up at the plush, but soon grinned, patting him on the head.

"Welcome back, Birdy-san!" Akko spoke her native tongue. She began gathering her other things hurriedly, before her attention was drawn to a huge flower. She stared in wonder as the plant moved, never seeing something like this before. Suddenly, the petals opened, hungry for her, and Akko screamed. She was yanked back by Lotte, who pulled her along as they fled.

' _What is that thing?!'_ Akko yelled in her mind as she gripped Lotte's hand, Birdy-san holding her hair for dear life. The plant's tendrils sprang from the ground and pursued them. Sucy led them across the forest, diving through the trees. Lotte guided Akko as Sucy directed them, not wanting Akko to get hurt. They tumbled down a ditch, successfully losing the monster plant. Akko sighed in relief, turning towards Sucy for further direction, but finding she was examining something on the ground.

Sucy began forming a plan in her mind when she caught sight of a cockatrice's footprint. She grinned, seeing merit to being her after all. Lotte was distracted, looking out for the mandrake, so Akko was left alone. Sucy laid rope on the ground and tapped Akko on her shoulder. The girl gave her an inquisitive expression. Sucy gestured her fingers to come closer, and Akko obliged, standing in the middle of the rope ring. The witch grinned, uncapping one of her potion. "Juras Haras Haras." She spoke, pouring the potion on the rope. Akko gasped when the rope came to life, entrapping her like a hamster in a hamster ball.

"Sucy! What are you doing?!" Lotte shouted, racing over to where Akko was trapped. She tried pulling apart the rope, but it wouldn't budge. Sucy ignored Lotte, speaking to Akko.

"I want you to yell Kutchur Katela Flala." Sucy commanded. Lotte turned her head towards Sucy.

"Will that help us find a path out of here?" Lotte asked her roommate. Sucy ignored her, waiting for Akko to speak.

"Kutchur Hara Hara?" Akko squinted, trying to formulate the words. Sucy gave her a glare.

"Kutchur Katela Flala! Say it with feeling!" Sucy demanded. Akko glared, determined to do this if it will get them out of here, Sucy's words from before saying that she wouldn't make it far appearing in her mind. She would prove Sucy wrong!

"Kutchur Katela Flala!" Akko screamed at the top of her lungs. Lotte wondered what spell that was and turned towards Sucy.

"Nothing's happening. What does it mean?" she asked the pink haired girl. Lotte jumped when she heard a deafening roar. Sucy grinned, boarding her broom.

"It means 'Hey stupid! If you don't like it, eat me!'" Sucy informed, casting a flying spell. "Don't worry, Lotte. You still have your broom, so you can escape." Sucy added. Lotte shrieked when she saw a giant chicken head appear from the trees. Akko saw her frightened expression and turned around, screaming when she saw the giant chicken. Lotte and she tried to pull apart the rope, but nothing was working. The giant chicken came closer, and Lotte felt horror seize her heart that Akko was going to die, and she was too if she didn't fly away. Akko saw Lotte desperately trying to break the rope and made the decision for them.

"Go! Now!" and she climbed on the ball, propelling it forward like a wheel. Lotte hopped onto her broom, fleeing out of the way fast enough for the cockatrice to miss her and Akko. Akko ran as fast as she could, with Lotte following behind to try to keep her safe. The cockatrice took a breath, and Lotte dove down, bumping the rope ball out of the way, narrowly missing getting hit. Akko and Lotte gasped, realizing the breath turns things to stone, and increased their speeds.

Meanwhile, Sucy was struggling to grasp one of the cockatrice's feathers. She grinned at the prospect of having one in her possession. As a poison master, a cockatrice's feather contains lethal poison and she could imagine all the concoctions she could make with such a prize. Finally, she was able to grasp one, yanking hard to pull it from the cockatrice.

The beast cried, and Sucy's victory was short-lived when the giant chicken turned its beady eyes in her direction. The cockatrice readied its breath, with Sucy rapidly maneuvering her broom to dodge the onslaught of stone breath.

"Can't stop!" Akko shouted, trying to skid to a stop, but only was causing her friction, making her cry in pain. Lotte flew after her, reaching out to grasp the rope prison as it tumbled. Her fingers grazed the trap, burning her hand from the friction, and she cried, retracting her hand. Yet, determination rose within her to stop Akko from getting hurt, and she threw herself off her broom, landing on the ball in motion, and immediately felt the white-hot pain as she rolled with it in a desperate attempt to slow it down.

"Lotte!" Akko yelled in horror. Then she was flung forward, the rope ball colliding with a tree, shattering it, and the two girls were hurled straight—almost plummeting over a cliff. Thanks to quick reflexes, Akko was able to grab Lotte with one hand and the side of the cliff with her other while Birdy-san clung to her tightly. Panic erupted in her when she saw Lotte wasn't moving, hurriedly pulling her body towards Akko's so she could clutch her close.

Lotte moaned in agony, cracking her eyes open to see Akko gazing down at her in worry. With little strength, she grasped Akko just as close, afraid to fall. She brought a hand out to sign, but Akko shook her head.

"You hurt. Don't move." Akko commanded.

"I… it hurts to move." Lotte confessed weakly. She felt tears come to her eyes. "I… I'm scared. I don't think I can walk." She wasn't sure if Akko understand her or not, but she seemed to have gotten the jist of what Lotte said, narrowing her eyes, resolve shining in them.

"No give up!" Akko shouted, and Lotte winced at the volume. Akko pulled them up from the side of the cliff, and Lotte was shocked that Akko didn't even hesitate to carry her on her back while Birdy-san clutched to her hair the entire time, not wanting to lose Akko again. "Won't leave you behind! Birdy-san and you are friends! Don't leave friends behind ever!" Lotte watched Akko in awe as she spoke. Akko remembered Shiny Chariot's words with clarity, the sound echoing in her mind. "Our story's not over! Reach out! Story begins!" Akko proclaimed she trekked the hill, carrying both Lotte and Birdy-san.

' _My story isn't done! It's just gotten started! Lotte, Sucy, Birdy-san! All our stories are not going to end here!'_ Akko asserted fiercely. They reached the top of the hill, and something sparkled, catching the girls' attention. Birdy-san flapped his wings excitedly while Akko stared at what appeared to be a staff. Her ruby eyes lit up in recognition. She knew this wand!

' _Chariot's magic wand!'_

Lotte jumped at the cockatrice's roar and Akko felt her tense and the ground tremble. Looking forward, she saw Sucy still struggling to evade the monster's stone breath. An idea came into her mind, and she speedily placed Lotte in a safe spot. Akko removed Birdy-san from her hair and placed him on Lotte's head.

"Protect Lotte!" she told Birdy-san, who squeaked and nodded, to show he understood. Akko retrieved Chariot's magic wand, holding it close to her for a source of strength. Running towards the monster, Akko cried. "Kutchur Katela Flala!"

The cockatrice stopped pursuing Sucy and directed its attention to Akko. The girl then grinned, sticking her tongue out at the creature.

"Dumb bird!" she taunted, feeling the ground shake from the cockatrice's roar. Using the ground's vibrations, she was able to tell the cockatrice was following her rapidly. She climbed and dove towards her destination, praying she knew what she was doing. The cockatrice kept up pace with her, trying to peck her to death. Akko dodged, diving in between the beast's legs to avoid the hit. She tumbled away from it, clinging to the wand like a life preserver.

She watched the monster struggling to move. She gave a whoop of delight when the smoke cleared, showing her plan worked and the cockatrice was caught in the vicious plant's clutches from earlier. She felt the animal's roar shaking the ground, but it didn't bother her. Though, she jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Sucy was hovering next to her, holding Lotte's form in front of her while Birdy-san clung to Lotte to make her feel better. Sucy gestured her to come closer.

"Hop on." She said. Akko grinned, understanding what she was saying, and quickly climbed behind Sucy, holding her tight to her, in an effort to convey gratitude. Sucy felt herself smile, warmth nestling in her chest at the gesture, and patted one of Akko's hands. They soared through the air and away from the trapped cockatrice.

"Thank you, Sucy." Akko whispered, and Sucy felt the warmth spread, the soothing sound of her name coming from Akko a pleasure she didn't think was possible. A genuine smile bloomed on her features, and she found she liked the sound of Akko's voice.

A roar pierced the air, and Sucy squeezed Akko's hand to let her know they had trouble. Akko clutched tighter to Sucy to make sure she didn't fall off. The brown-haired girl glanced behind her, eyes widening when the cockatrice sprang from the forest, flying towards them.

Fire rained down on them while the cockatrice breathed fire. Akko yelped, feeling the heat behind her and panicked when she saw the broom caught fire.

* * *

Ursula pursued the cockatrice and the three witches fleeing from it.

"Why are they here?!" Ursula exclaimed. She saw the three dodging the fire blows with little success, their broom catching fire. The girl in the back was clutching a staff tightly, and Ursula's eyes widened, memories filling her.

"Shiny Rod!"

The witches were knocked from their broom, plummeting through the sky. Horror gripped Ursula as she rushed towards the falling students.

"Say the words!" she shouted, beseeching the young girl who was holding the Shiny Rod. However, it appeared she didn't hear her. Ursula increased her speed.

* * *

Akko screamed, the air rushing past her while rapidly descending from the sky. She thought of her parents, and how sad they'll be when they find out their daughter was gone. She thought of her schoolmates who will miss her in Japan. She thought about Lotte and Sucy, and how she pulled them into this mess. If only she could save them! She needed to save them!

" _What a troublesome kid. Just believe and it shall be done."_

Akko's eyes snapped open, sound penetrating her world of silence. Her mouth dropped open, her heart pounding. She could hear this person's voice!

" _Don't just gape! You know the words!"_ the voice commanded her. Shiny Rod was glowing, and her eyes widened. A flash of Shiny Chariot appeared in her mind, her mouth forming the words.

' _Noctu Orfei…'_ mind visualized Chariot reciting the words, the bow that was conjured, _'Aude..'_

She saw it, the magical portal in the sky. It was right there in her mind as clear as day. Her mind reached out and grasped firmly at the image. Her feelings overwhelmed her—her desire for her and her friends to be safe resonating through her entire being.

' _Fraetor!'_ she screamed in her mind.

Light burst forth from the Shiny Rod, incasing it while it changed shape. She pulled the arrow back, the gateway portal in her mind's eye.

' _Shiny Arc!'_

Akko let loose the arrow, striking true, and opening up another dimension. Her, Sucy, Lotte, and Birdy-san fell through, Akko's eyes shining with amazement at all the images passing by her eyes. Their speed increased the further they fell. Akko had no idea where it was taking them, but she knew it would be somewhere safe. Her eyes drooped, exhaustion seeping into her, and she felt herself be succumbed by slumber.

" _You did good, kid."_ The voice congratulated her before everything went black.

* * *

Akko cracked her eyes open, blinking a couple of times to focus. When she saw Sucy staring down at her, she sat up quickly, before feeling woozy and Sucy caught her before she hit her head.

"We're in our dorm room." Sucy told her, handing her a pen and notepad. Akko sluggishly jotted down her response.

 _What happened?_

"Well apparently you opened a portal connecting us right to orientation. You and Lotte were passed out so that left me to explain to the teachers what happened." Sucy explained. Akko blinked, realizing what that meant and quickly wrote down her response.

 _Are we expelled?_

Sucy shook her head.

"No. They took Lotte to the infirmary for the night and you were just passed out from exhaustion, so they put you with me. What a pain I have to watch you all night to make sure you don't get worse."

 _Where's Shiny rod?_

"Oh, that staff? Right over there. You were clutching it so hard, even passed out no one could take it from you until we were alone, and I loosened up your fingers with a slippery potion." Sucy stated, pointing to where the Shiny Rod was. Akko got up with Sucy's assistance, walking over to it and picking it up, inspecting it. She turned to Sucy, speaking.

"Heard voice." She said while Sucy raised her visible eyebrow.

"I thought you can't hear though. How can you hear a voice? Can you hear mine?" Sucy asked with interest. Akko shook her head.

"No. Reading your lips." This made Sucy sigh, and Akko couldn't read what she was thinking through her vacant expression.

"You're a strange one." Sucy stated finally, then turning to go to bed. Akko watched her get under the covers, leaving her to her thoughts. Akko gazed down at the Shiny Rod, wrinkling her brow.

She knew she heard a voice. She wasn't imagining things. Question was: How?

Akko was brought out of her musings by Birdy-san pecking her hand. She glanced down at the plush who was watching her. She gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry." She said, petting his head. She went back to her own bunk, climbing under the covers, Birdy-san keeping close. Akko snuggled Birdy-san as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

What do you guys think? Was it okay? Thank you for such a positive response such as reviews, favorites, and follows!

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	3. Chapter 3

Thank you so much for all the support for this story! I'm very happy people seem to like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Little Witch Academia

* * *

 _"The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude."_

-Oprah Winfrey

* * *

Chapter Three:

 _Akko was soaring through Leyline, the bright colors leaving her in awe. She clutched Chariot's wand close, ready to use it if needed. Spiraling further, she noticed she was flying towards a figure in the distance. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out their features, but found she couldn't see anything. Closer and closer she flew—she would soon be able to make out a face—_

Akko's eyes snapped open, sitting up quickly, startling Birdy-san and causing him to drop from her head. He pecked her angrily for interrupting his sleep, and Akko patted his head to calm him. Her ruby eyes surveyed her surroundings curiously, finding Sucy at their desk mixing potions.

Realization hit her that yesterday was not a dream after all, and she grinned, clutching Birdy-san close to her. The plush snuggled into her, not one to turn down cuddles, and Akko giggled. Sucy, hearing her, turned towards her.

"You snore like an ogre." Sucy told her. Akko blushed, grabbing a notepad and pen, writing down her apology. Sucy shrugged and resumed working on her potions. Akko watched in interest, getting out from her bed and creeping closer to Sucy. Sucy saw her out of the corner of her eye and turned back towards her so Akko could read her lips.

"Be careful. I'm extracting the poison from the cockatrice's feather." She advised her roommate. Akko squeaked, backing up quickly, and Sucy snickered, finding Akko to be entertaining. A light bulb went off in Akko's head and she went towards where Sucy placed the Shiny Rod the night before. Birdy-san bounced on her shoulder, inquisitive just as she was.

' _I wonder why Chariot's wand was in the middle of the forest…'_ Akko pondered to herself. She waved it around, trying to make something happen, but alas, the wand was useless. She wrinkled her brow, waving it harder and rattling Birdy-san. Still, nothing happened. Akko sighed, giving up, and choosing to get ready for the day. She dressed in the standard uniform, grinning as she admired the clothing. She wished she could wear her ceremonial clothes, but she supposed the regular uniform was cute too.

 _We should go see Lotte when we get the chance._ Akko passed the note to Sucy, who looked up from her potion work to read the note. Sucy put down her potions and rose from her chair.

"We'll go see her after classes." Sucy promised. Akko grinned, excited to see Lotte again. Sucy picked up Birdy-san from Akko's bed and placed him atop of Akko's head, making sure he was secured. With that, she changed and they both headed to class.

Traveling down the halls through all the school's corridors was surreal. Akko couldn't believe she was finally at the same school that Chariot studied at! She twirled around, looking everywhere to absorb it all in. Sucy walked ahead of her, not really giving her any attention. When they arrived at their first classroom, Akko felt herself do a double take. The room was huge! It was way bigger than any classroom at her old school in Japan. Sucy didn't bother waiting for her and journeyed to her seat. Akko jumped, quickly following her. They took their seats in the middle of the benches, and Akko felt intimidated by the size of the room and board. She squirmed in her seat while students filed in. Sucy tapped her shoulder.

"Why are you fidgeting?" she asked. Akko fiddled with her fingers. Sucy sighed. "I can't understand you unless you tell me what's wrong."

"Room big." Akko confessed. "Not sure if I can see." Sucy's eye alit with understanding.

"I want to sit here to sleep, but you can go to the front." Sucy told her. Akko glanced down where the front row was, really far from Sucy, and felt nervous. She wanted to sit next to her new friend, but she wanted to be able to learn. In the end, she decided to stay, telling herself that she would be able to understand the teacher's signing from there. Akko nodded, pleased with her decision, retrieved her notebook while Sucy snored away.

What appeared to be the professor walked in. Akko saw she was a stern looking woman in her older years. The young witch smiled—it was time to learn!

"Welcome to your first class. I am Professor Finnelan." The woman greeted. The woman continued talking, and Akko felt anxiety build up within her. She squinted, struggling to read the professor's lips due to being so far away. Horror bubbled in her stomach.

' _Why isn't she signing?!'_ Akko cried. All her teachers at her old school had learned sign or always had an interpreter in order to accommodate her. Even in the front row, she saw she would have trouble reading the professor's lips. Didn't the headmistress say something to the rest of the staff? She clenched her fists, feeling frustration. She couldn't follow anything the teacher was saying! First, she's not told about needing to fly to Luna Nova, then nothing about carrying salt in Leyline, and now they expect her to just squint and try to decipher someone's lips?!

She gritted her teeth, standing abruptly, effectively waking up Sucy, and slammed her hands on the desk. She figured the sound must've echoed in the large classroom because everyone was staring at her confused. The teacher stopped talking, glaring up at her, appearing to have yelled something, but Akko didn't bother trying to read her lips, instead wringing her hands furiously as she signed.

"Why am I being left in the dark?! You're supposed to be a prestigious school! I have nearly died because you guys haven't told me a damn thing, and now I can't understand what you're saying! You're going too fast!" she finished her signing by slamming her hands on the desk again. The teacher narrowed her eyes, growing angry with Akko, and Akko wanted to tear her hair out. She roughly grabbed her notebook, jotting down what she wanted to say, and leaving her desk to approach the professor, thrusting the paper forward.

"What a pain…" Sucy murmured, slapping a hand to her forehead. The other students around her were whispering about Akko being rude and crazy, and Sucy sighed.

Professor Finnelan took the outstretched paper from Akko's hand, reading it.

 _I can't hear. Please use Sign Supported English or let me take a seat right next to you where I may read your lips._

Finnelan's eyes widened, before glaring down at the girl, recognizing her as Atsuko Kagari, the student that was admitted with no magical background. She placed her hands on her hips.

"I do not appreciate you interrupting my class for trivial things, Miss Kagari." Akko's eyes widened, reading her lips and she rapidly gestured with her hands.

"Trivial? A student can't understand you and you call that trivial?" she signed. Finnelan narrowed her eyes.

"I don't understand you, Miss Kagari, with you waving your hands like that! Speak!"

"Not trivial! Don't understand! Big deal!" Akko shouted, clenching her fists. Finnelan choked at the girl's horrible English, and Sucy felt herself frown when she heard their classmates making fun of Akko's accent.

"Enough, Miss Kagari! Leave my class this instant!" Finnelan commanded and Akko huffed, marching out of the classroom in anger. Birdy-san felt her emotional turmoil and snuggled into her hair. She stomped down the hallways, slowly coming to a stop. Akko sighed, leaning against a wall, slumping down to the floor, and hugging her knees close. Birdy-san squeaked, flapping his wings and landed in front of her, peering up at her. Akko gently picked up Birdy-san and cuddled him close.

Her eyes stung with unshed tears of anger. Feelings of inferiority filled her, and she held Birdy-san closer. It has been so long since she felt inadequate compared to others. She wasn't used to the sensation—not since when she was a child, trapped in a world of silence, unable to communicate with the rest of the world. Realization hit her that she was truly alone in a country with barely anyone who can understand her. Frustration rose within her at all the cards being stacked against her—no magical background and not even being able to hear or speak proper English trapped in a school that she saw now had no accommodations for her background.

' _Chariot was able to do it all!'_ Akko reminded herself, not wanting to succumb to depression like before. _'I can do it! I'll show them what I can do! These are just minor setbacks!'_ her expression shown with resolve, determined to not let her lack of hearing or lack of magical background be an obstacle. She would not be that little girl who fell into depression like years ago! She had a goal now! _'I just have to believe! Chariot wouldn't let these things get her down! I can't either!'_

Birdy-san gently pecked her cheek and Akko smiled, petting him. She would make people smile—just like Chariot made her smile! She wanted to make people feel like they weren't alone in the world—that anyone's dreams can come true no matter how much the odds are against them.

Having made her decision, she decided to head to Potions. Sucy seemed to be waiting for her at the doorway of the classroom, eyeing her when she approached.

"You ready?" Sucy asked her, not bringing up her turmoil in Professor Finnelan's class. Akko grinned, nodding. Sucy grinned. "Good. This is my favorite class." She took Akko's hand and Akko was surprised when Sucy led them to the front row. Tilting her head, Akko had a question mark above her head. Sucy saw her expression and shrugged. "I like this class. This way we both can learn."

Akko felt her heart warm at Sucy's consideration, squeezing her hand, as they both took their seats. Students filed in, giving her looks, some pointing at her while some snickered or outright laughed, making funny gestures as they glanced at her. Akko sunk in her seat, feeling exposed. She tugged at Sucy's sleeve to get her attention.

"Everyone thinks your accent is funny." Sucy told her. "They also never seen a deaf witch or sign before, so they are making fun of you." Akko blushed in shame. Truly, Luna Nova was way different than her old school. The young witch sunk lower in her seat, feeling them all staring at her in mockery. She gazed down at her lap, not wanting to face the stares, clenching the fabric of her skirt. However, she jumped when Sucy placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned an inquisitive gaze to Sucy, who was grinning evilly.

"Don't worry about it." A glint shined in her eye, and Akko wondered what mischief Sucy was planning. It wasn't clear until the end of class when they were dismissed that when Sucy and Akko got up from their seats, everyone else was struggling to rise, exclaiming they were stuck. "Kukukukuku." Sucy cackled, leading Akko away from the classroom towards their next class with Professor Badcock.

Professor Badcock raised an eyebrow when she saw only two students sitting in her class. Just then, the door opened, and the rest of her students were piling in, complaining while rubbing their butts. A blonde-haired girl went to Professor Badcock and Sucy heard the girl claim they were late due to her having to unstuck students from being stuck to their benches. The blonde-haired girl flickered her icy eyes towards Sucy and Akko, and Sucy scooted closer to Akko with a glint in her eye, warning the girl to back off. Akko didn't notice Sucy slide closer to her, too busy being curious about the girl who was examining her. Like Sucy, it was hard to read this girl's expression, and she wondered what she was saying to the teacher.

"I see." The professor cleared her throat. "Well everyone is here now. Thank you, Diana. As usual, your prowess in magic is amazing." The professor praised. The girl, Diana, gave a polite smile and went towards her seat where Hannah and Barbara were. Diana passed Akko, and they locked eyes, before Diana turned her gaze straight ahead.

' _What's with her?'_ Akko wondered. Nevertheless, she turned her attention to the front of the classroom, squinting in order to read the professor's lips. It was difficult deciphering the Professors' lectures due to the complicated terms they used and the pace they went, but she reminded herself of what she told her parents before: she wasn't made of glass nor would the world treat her as such.

Class passed without incident to Akko's relief. Once it was over, Sucy and Akko made their way to the infirmary where Lotte was. Happy to talk to someone who could understand her, Akko immediately launched into recounting her day. Lotte signed as she spoke verbally to keep Sucy included, which Sucy and Akko both appreciated.

"No one's ever really encountered a deaf spellcaster before." Lotte told them. "Incantations are oral, so I would imagine it's going to be difficult for you. It is just unfortunate you have a double disadvantage with no magical background as well."

"But she was able to cast a spell yesterday." Sucy reminded them, recalling Akko opening the Leyline network. "She cast a spell with Shiny Rod."

"I didn't recite anything out loud. I just saw the portal in my mind." Akko signed. Lotte's eyes widened, speaking and signing at the same time.

"You… you didn't recite any incantation?!" Lotte asked shocked. Akko shook her head. Sucy gazed at her in interest.

"But then you passed out for hours. It looked like you were dead." Sucy recalled. Lotte placed a hand to her chin, pondering.

"I mean… there's never been a deaf witch before so there's never been a reason to not try oral incantation though I suppose there's another way to do spellwork, but is hard to do… That could be the reason one of our classmates also has trouble and resorted to magitek because she's mute."

"There's someone here who's mute?" Akko signed.

"We've never seen her talk, but that could be the reason why her magic is more modern. She may have trouble with oral incantation as well but hasn't figured out visualization could be a possibility." Lotte explained.

"So, does that mean we could do it too?" Sucy asked. Lotte thought hard.

"In theory? But it probably takes a lot of energy… you said Akko passed out before."

"I still feel kind of weak to be honest." Akko confessed with gestures.

"Try it again." Sucy said. Akko squeaked. "Let's go get the Shiny Rod and see if you can do it again."

"We'd have to be somewhere no one will see. I don't want us accidentally destroying something." Lotte said. "I'll be getting out soon so once I'm released, we can go get the Shiny Rod and experiment."

"Sounds like fun!" Akko signed, grinning. "Let's check you out now!"

"Eh? Now?" Lotte blinked. Akko nodded.

"Why not? They said you were fine now! We have time! This could be something big!" she excitedly gestured.

"Well… okay! Let's do it!" Lotte agreed. "This is exciting! We may be able to do a new kind of magic!"

"Or blow something up. Either way, I'm game." Sucy shrugged.

With that decided, the three witches immediately went to the nurse and checked Lotte out. The healer gave Lotte some potions for pain and discomfort, and they were off, Sucy scoffing that she could probably make something better for her than the generic stuff that was given. Birdy-san flapped his wings in glee while they journeyed to their dorm.

"There you are!" Akko exclaimed, picking up the Shiny Rod. Lotte retrieved some spellbooks with simple spells they could try while Sucy packed up some potions in case Akko passed out and she could test them out on her. Birdy-san kept lookout as they crept towards a desolate part of campus. Akko wished she could play the Mission Impossible theme while they were being stealthy; however, she knew without hearing it really wouldn't matter to her, but the sentiment was cool.

"What are you doing?"

Lotte and Sucy froze, grabbing Akko to stop her as well. She angrily turned to them, signing not to grab her like that, but blinked when she found the blonde-haired girl from earlier staring at them with a stern expression, her hands on her hips. Akko tilted her head, clutching Chariot's wand to her, causing the girl's eyes to expand when she caught sight of it.

"Shiny Rod?!"

* * *

Yeah, nothing really happens with this chapter, but I wanted to do some character interactions and no, Akko is not more powerful than everyone else. She just tapped into an alternative way to do magic, which will lead to her developing another way to cast spells for witches who cannot use oral incantation. Please let me know what you guys think.

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	4. Chapter 4

" _We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."_

—Martin Luther King Jr.

* * *

Chapter Four:

Akko blinked, wondering why the blonde-haired girl was so shocked at the appearance of the Shiny Rod. Maybe it's because she expected it to be with Chariot? Akko knew that what she was wondering herself.

"Why do you have the Shiny Rod?" the girl pointed at her. Akko tilted her head. She pointed to herself, mouthing 'me?' and the girl narrowed her eyes, becoming exasperated with her. "Yes! You!"

"Well, I didn't steal it if that's what you mean." Akko signed feeling offended, and Lotte translated.

"Hey, watch it, you defect!" the redhead girl Akko recognized from when arriving at the Leyline terminal snapped, her face contorting into an angry expression. "Don't you know who're you're talking too?!"

Sucy and Lotte narrowed their eyes at what Hannah called Akko. Sucy readied a potion behind her back and Lotte grasped her wand tightly. As for Akko, she clicked her tongue at the address, but didn't lash out yet. She encountered ignorant people before—she knew this wouldn't be the last time either.

"Of course, she doesn't!" Barbara laughed. "She can barely speak English! She wouldn't be cultured enough to know who the Cavendish family is!"

"Hannah! Barbara! That's enough!" Diana chided them, uncomfortable with the way they were talking about Akko like she wasn't even a person. She turned to Akko and bowed her head in apology. "I'm sorry. May I ask where you got that wand?"

"Come on, Diana! It's just a toy! Chariot disappeared ten years ago!" Barbara said. Akko's eyes widened when she read Barbara's lips.

"Chariot's missing?!" Akko signed.

"Ugh, she's doing that dumb hand stuff again!" Hannah sneered. However, she yelped when Lotte seized the front of her uniform, pulling her closer, eyes alit in wraith.

"If you continue to insult my friend…" Lotte said calmly, "I will make sure you are haunted by malicious spirits for the next three years." Hannah squirmed, sweating. Akko and Sucy's eyes were wide with shock.

"Y-yes, ma'am!" Hannah squeaked. Lotte released her, Akko rubbing her back and Sucy giving her a thumbs up. Diana didn't take her eyes off of Akko nevertheless through the whole exchange.

"Chariot is a disgrace to the magical world. It would be best to get rid of that wand." Diana told her. Akko glared, a ferocity rising within her at the statement that her idol was being insulted. Birdy-san flapped angrily as Akko signed, Lotte verbally translating.

"'Chariot is the best witch in the world! Who are you to say she's a disgrace when she made so many people smile? Chariot inspired me!'" Lotte recited as Akko vigorously signed. Diana sighed.

"For your own sake, you should get a new inspiration unless you want to fail like Chariot. It's clear you have the odds stacked against you—don't be stupid like she was." Diana advised. Nonetheless, her eyes widened when Akko stomped towards her and pinched Diana's cheeks. _What the—_

"Take back! Daiyana a meanie!" Akko growled, butchering her name. Diana just gaped while Hannah and Barbara gasped at the fact that Akko dared touch Diana like that.

"I—I beg your pardon?" Diana spluttered. Akko let go of her cheeks, Diana feeling a sting, and placed her hands on her hips.

"Meanie! Stupid! Chariot best witch!" Akko criticized, Hannah and Barbara still in disbelief how Akko was addressing the famous witch prodigy. She went over and retrieved the Shiny Rod, handing Birdy-san to Lotte. She readied the wand. "Will show!"

Akko took a deep breath, concentrating. She then waved the wand.

"Rux!" she commanded, everyone wincing at her pronunciation. Nothing happened. She grew frustrated, waving it violently. "Rux!"

Seeing that Akko was all talk, Hannah and Barbara smirked while Diana tried to compose herself from Akko's brashness. Diana took out her own wand, demonstrating.

"Lux!" she commanded, the wand glowing brightly. Akko shielded herself from the light. Satisfied, Diana snuffed out the light, giving her a stern look.

"Take my advice—quit while you're ahead. It's clear you're at a disadvantage with your poor communication skills. Maybe you should think of another path instead of being a witch." With that, Diana, Hannah, and Barbara left them standing there. Sucy narrowed her eyes as they walked away.

"Somebody's getting a contagious fungus in their food tomorrow…" she muttered. Lotte was worriedly watching Akko, who was looking down at the ground, her hair shadowing her expression from view. Birdy-san bounced to Akko's head, peering at her in concern. Lotte walked forward, grasping one of Akko's hands, intertwining their fingers. Akko glanced up, biting her lip. Lotte gave her a comforting smile, making sure Akko could read her lips.

"They don't know what we know. You were able to do magic without incantations. You can do it again." Lotte assured with confidence. Akko looked unsure, and Lotte squeezed Akko's hand in a soothing manner before releasing her hand, signing. "I believe in you."

"Let's keep going." Sucy told them, and they agreed, traveling further into the trees to prevent others from seeing them. They found themselves seated near a creek in a clearing between the trees. "Where do we start?"

"Let's see…" Lotte opened a spellbook, scanning the text. "It is probably best to try something simple. Akko, is there anything in particular you want to try?"

Akko shrugged, not really picky. She examined the Shiny Rod, pondering if maybe it was a dud after all.

' _Or perhaps you're the dud.'_ Her mind chimed in mournfully. Akko growled, tensing up. She didn't want what Diana to have said get to her, but it felt like an enormous elephant in the room inside her mind. What if Diana is right and she can't become a witch due to her deafness? She never factored speech into her plans. Her Japanese was fine, but when she was learning English, it was exceptionally difficult to pronounce sounds from just reading it. Her parents and her didn't really worry much about it because they had thought Luna Nova was proficient in signing, so she concentrated her efforts further into learning Sign Supported English. Seeing they were vastly wrong, however, presented to Akko an even further dilemma: if she sucked with her English, how was so supposed to even begin to comprehend pronunciation of spells? She can't even say her "L"s right!

Birdy-san pecked her in the eye. Yelping, Akko glared up to find Sucy was holding Birdy-san out to her.

"I didn't peg you for a quitter." Sucy stated. Akko looked surprised, reading her lips. "In case you've forgotten, you've already done spells—you just have a different way of doing things."

"Sucy's right, Akko." Lotte spoke as she signed. "Just because you can't do something the normal way doesn't mean it's the _only_ way to do things. It's like math—there's multiple ways of solving a problem—we just haven't found the way that best fits _you_."

Akko stared at them, registering what they said. She felt tears come to her eyes, smiling wide, as she spoke and signed.

"Thank you." Akko said, gratitude overwhelming her. She appreciated how much Lotte and Sucy had so much faith in her despite only knowing each other for two days. She took Birdy-san from Sucy and plopped him on top of her head. Birdy-san pecked her forehead in thanks. She went over and hugged both Sucy and Lotte, the former patting her back awkwardly while Lotte embraced her snuggly. Akko released them, holding Chariot's wand close, determination rising within her.

"Let's do the light spell." Akko signed. Lotte translated and Sucy and her nodded in agreement. They took out their wands and they each took a stance.

"How did you do it before Akko?" Lotte asked the brown-haired girl. Akko pondered hard, trying to remember the circumstances to non-verbal casting.

"I just repeated the words in my mind, imagining a poral to take us somewhere safe." Akko answered with gestures.

"How did you know the words?" Sucy asked.

"A voice reminded me of the words spoken at Chariot's show when I was a kid."

"A voice?" Lotte questioned. Sucy sighed.

"She claims she heard a voice in her head even though she can't hear." Sucy explained. Lotte looked interested.

"How mysterious…" Lotte said. "We should try to find research into the Shiny Rod. See if it has any connections with strong magic…"

"Enough talking—I wanna try out this non-verbal magic." Sucy said, readying her wand. Akko and Lotte nodded, readying their wands, and taking a deep breath.

They waved their wands, thinking the spell, but nothing happened. They tried again several times, but no results.

"Maybe we're not doing something right…" Akko signed.

"It could be cause of lack of medium. Oral incantation is used to help a spell to become physical form—maybe just thinking the word isn't enough to create a medium." Lotte said.

"Let's keep trying." Sucy suggested.

* * *

Diana, Barbara, and Hannah journeyed towards where the Jennifer Memorial Tree was being held. They had caught wind of the tree's condition from a staff member who had implored Diana to help. The Cavendish heiress immediately set forth to the Jennifer Memorial Tree, Hannah and Barbara tagging along, continuing to make fun of Akko.

"I don't get why Headmistress Holbrooke let her come in the first place. It's clear she has no magical prowess." Barbara said to Hannah. Hannah snickered.

"Did you hear her accent? She can't even say certain things right!" Hannah goaded.

"I know right? _Daiyana_? Imagine when we do actual spellwork! She'll be a disaster!" Barbara mocked.

"Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll get kicked out for failure." Hannah said. Diana stopped walking and turned towards them, giving them a look. They flinched at her glare. "E-eh? Diana?"

Diana sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She remembered Akko shouting at her, pinching her cheeks, calling her a meanie, and Diana felt something stir within her. She wasn't used to such abrasiveness, nor was she accustomed to someone disagreeing with her so violently. Nonetheless, it needed to be said to the girl that she was at a clear disadvantage—someone like that couldn't be coddled when they were pursuing magic. It was good she set Akko straight to look into other options. Being a witch wasn't for the disabled.

' _Yet why do I feel like such a jerk?'_ she wondered, guilt swirling in her stomach.

"Let's focus on fixing the Jennifer Memorial Tree, shall we?" Diana suggested, and the two nodded. As they entered the sanctuary, they caught sight of Professor Finnelan, Professor Ursula, and Headmistress Holbrooke.

"I'd like to study it more." They heard Professor Ursula say. Headmistress Holbrooke nodded.

"Please get to the bottom of this." The headmistress ordered. Diana addressed the headmistress.

"Headmistress!" she announced their presence. "I can't believe the Jennifer Memorial Tree has weakened like this."

"Yes, Diana. Unfortunately, the tree is very old." Holbrooke replied. She glanced at the rotting tree. "I'm afraid it might be getting close to its time. We must go now to see what can be done."

With that, the professors departed, leaving Diana, Hannah, and Barbara to examine the tree. Diana had a pensive expression on her face, crossing her arms.

"This tree has been said to inherit the great witch Jennifer's spirit." Diana mused. "It is the tree of life of Luna Nova."

"Let's get started!" Hannah said excited. The girls began setting out stones around the tree in multiple rows. Barbara peeked around the tree to address Diana.

"I've finished this side." She said.

"I'm going to try to use revitalization magic on this tree." Diana explained. "It will give this large tree strong nutrients and revitalize it. This has been secret magic that has been handed down for generations by my family."

Barbara and Hannah took a step back while Diana prepared her wand, the tip glowing as she readied her magic.

"Louperial Ral!" she shouted. Magic sprung forth, lighting all the stones, and igniting throughout the tree. Hannah and Barbara gazed upon the display of magic in awe. The tree's branches perked up, the rotting wood repairing itself. Diana smirked, proud of herself.

"The nutrients must've been absorbed."

"Amazing, Diana!" Hannah praised.

"Let's go tell the professors!" Barbara suggested, the two racing off to find the headmistress, Finnelan, and Ursula. Diana pocketed her wand, smiling in relief. However, the relief was short-lived when she noticed something rising from the ground. Her brow furrowed in confusion.

* * *

Ursula searched for information in the library, relieved to be doing something instead of listening to Finnelan's screaming from before about how Holbrooke accepted a deaf student.

" _Headmistress! What were you thinking when you told Atsuko Kagari yes to coming to Luna Nova?!" Professor Finnelan demanded. The other professors looked like they wanted answers as well._

" _The girl could barely keep up in my class. She looked like she was giving herself a headache trying to read my lips all the time." Professor Badcock chimed in. Lukic nodded._

" _They have a point. No potion's going to fix that mess." Lukic said. Ursula felt bad for the poor girl. It's clear she was here because she wanted to learn, but none of the teachers had any idea on how to accommodate her nor did they understand the headmistress's decision to accept a student that would obviously struggle to the point of failure off the bat._

" _Exactly! Headmistress Holbrooke, it goes against tradition! What can a witch do if she can't hear how she is reciting her incantations? Not to mention she has no magical background on top of it! She's useless in the classroom." Finnelan complained. Holbrooke pursed her lip and gave the woman a stern glare._

" _Careful, Finnelan. My father was deaf and nonmagical and was just as capable as anyone who could hear." Holbrooke chastised the red-haired woman. Finnelan flushed, embarrassed by being called out._

" _Is that why you accepted her? Because your father was also deaf? That doesn't really seem like a good reason." Badcock crossed her arms._

" _This doesn't really seem fair to the kid." Nelson said._

" _But we have a mute student—what's the problem of having a deaf one?" Ursula decided to speak up for the girl. Finnelan scoffed._

" _And she has resorted to magitek because she also has trouble with incantations! It goes against traditional spellcasting!" Finnelan said. Ursula bit her lip, narrowing her eyes at Finnelan, but didn't speak against her. The other teachers were murmuring in agreement to Finnelan's statement._

" _Enough!" Holbrooke commanded. "Listen to yourselves! You're acting like Miss Kagari has the plague! She is just like any other student who has come here to learn! Are we the ones to decide who can learn magic and who can't based on our own bias?" Silence answered her. Holbrooke sighed, smiling tiredly. "I admit fault in not preparing any of my staff for this dilemma. In my arrogance, I did not realize that Miss Kagari would need extra accommodations or struggle. I was simply captivated by her spirit—her desire to learn. It exceeded anyone's enthusiasm here, and I refused to tell her no just because of something she can't control. I had thought many would think like myself."_

" _But what can we do?" Professor Pisces asked. "We can't pass her out of pity or favor with her. It won't be fair to our other students or to Miss Kagari."_

" _I have faith in Miss Kagari to succeed." Holbrooke replied. She gave them a whimsical smile. "Those who are given the deepest despairs are those who shine with hope the brightest."_

Ursula smiled, glad that Miss Kagari was being given a chance by the headmistress. After all, Holbrooke was right—they couldn't decide who could and could not learn magic based on their own bias towards disability.

' _I should offer to help the girl at least.'_ Ursula told herself. _'I'm sure she would appreciate it.'_

Ursula turned the page of the giant tome, eyes widening when she caught sight of an illustration—the evidence she was looking for.

"It seems the miracle will be happening soon."

* * *

"What interesting cards! How were you able to collect them all?" Lotte signed. The three witches were taking a break, eating snacks and playing with Akko's Shiny Chariot card collection. Akko was grinning happily as she signed her reply.

"Yes! When I was a kid, Chariot was so popular they made a card game! Everyone I knew was collecting cards!"

She remembered when she was a little girl, excitedly buying booster packs to collect the whole set. She would often display them to her black cat, 'Suppi' Spinel Sun, and other classmates. Akko still kept her binder in good condition, making sure her cards were safe. Her mother and father encouraged her collection—happy their daughter was no longer despondent since the onset of her deafness.

"I just couldn't find one of the premium cards, even though I really wanted it." Akko continued to sign to her friends. Sucy picked up a card

"This mushroom card is supposed to reawaken romantic feelings." She noted. Lotte examined another card.

"Ah! This one is a unicorn!"

"An eternal holy animal that protects the happiness of young women." Akko signed.

"You memorized it?" Lotte asked, hand gesturing. Akko nodded.

"Of course." Akko smiled. "I remembered everything! I am just not good with pronunciation of spells." She hand gestured.

"I know this card—it's a butterfly." Lotte signed, speaking for Sucy to be kept in the conversation. Akko nodded, grinning with enthusiasm.

"P-A-P-P-I-L-I-O-D-Y-A." Akko finger spelled, then demonstrated the sign made for the name. "It's a butterfly that can fly across five continents! It hatches every 120 years and is said to give hope to anyone who sees it." She explained, signing.

Suddenly, roots from the ground burst forth, scattering the cards. They scrambled up, avoiding being hit. Akko hurriedly collected her cards, securing them. Lotte pointed towards where the commotion was happening, and Akko turned to see a trail of branches leading somewhere.

"Let's go!" Akko signed, gripping the Shiny Rod, and pointing to where the roots were bursting forth. Sucy and Lotte nodded, grabbing Birdy-san and leaving the clearing.

* * *

Diana gasped as the Jennifer Tree became ashen. The ground was shaking violently, roots bursting forth all around her. However, she stood her ground.

"What is happening?!" she exclaimed. She heard footsteps running towards her. Her blue eyes enlarged when she saw it was Akko, Sucy, and Lotte. A root sprung forth, stopping them in their tracks. "Stay back!" she ordered the three.

"What's going on?!" Akko signed. Diana was confused—she had no idea what Akko was saying and was frustrated she couldn't understand her. Lotte grabbed Akko by the shoulder, pointing to something she saw.

"Look there!" she said to everyone else. The four witches were shocked to see glowing cocoons on the roots of the tree. There were hundreds of them!

"Looks like pupae." Sucy said.

"Pupae?!" Lotte exclaimed. Sucy nodded.

"And they're not ordinary pupae."

"They were parasites in the roots!" Diana shouted. "My spell gave the nutrients to these vermin instead of the tree!"

The pupae continued to grow in size, the tree's life being seeped away. Diana glared.

Meanwhile, Akko was ignoring the chaos around her, examining the cocoons. She furrowed her brow, pondering hard. She's seen these before…

A shot of magic burst forth, cutting off her thoughts. She jumped away from the injured cocoon, pivoting around to see Diana shooting spells at the things. Akko resumed her thought process, examining one of the dead specimens.

' _I wonder… is it really?'_

She looked towards Diana again, and realization hit her where exactly she has seen these things before. She ran forward, blocking Diana from eliminating all the cocoons.

"Wait! I think I know what these are! Don't shoot any more of them!" Akko signed. Diana growled, flicking her wand.

"Get out of my way! I don't understand what you're saying, nor do I care!" Diana made gestures, hoping the dumb girl got the hint to leave. Akko stood her ground, spreading her arms wide.

"Wait! Diana, Akko's trying to tell you they're not parasites!" Lotte shouted, realizing what Akko had signed. Sucy surveyed curiously, wondering what was going on in her friend's mind.

"I don't care! She obviously doesn't know what she's talking about! I'll show you." Diana turned towards another glowing cocoon, getting ready to cast a spell. Akko felt her world slow down.

She needed to stop Diana! If this was she thought it was then Diana was making a huge mistake! Desperation clung to her, seizing her heart. She needed Diana to stop this! Diana had to stop!

"STOP!" Akko signed.

Diana felt her entire body freeze, locking into place. Her eyes widened in disbelief. Why couldn't she move?!

She tried to break whatever was holding her in place, but nothing worked. She couldn't even move her mouth! What happened?!

"Akko!" Lotte cried, Sucy and her staring at their friend in awe. Akko was panting, gazing at Diana's frozen form in amazement. She fell to her knees, her friends and Birdy-san running towards her, steadying her.

"Woah—that's some paralyzing charm you did." Sucy whistled. Akko turned to them, frantically signing.

"It's the Pappiliodya! That's their cocoons!" Akko told them. Lotte gasped, understanding what Akko was saying. Sucy looked confused.

"These are the Pappiliodya cocoons!" Lotte shouted. Diana was shocked. Pappiliodya? This girl knew about the Pappiliodya?!

Suddenly, the Shiny Rod began to glow, and Diana felt herself be flooded with even more disbelief.

' _What's going on? That wand didn't work before!'_

"Akko! You gotta cast the spell to save them!" Lotte signed. Akko nodded, grabbing the Shiny Rod, her friends holding her up from her weakness earlier. She took a deep breath. She then blinked, realizing if she couldn't even pronounce a simple light spell, how can she sound out a complicated one like that?

" _Papillio Fillio Nymphodya."_ A voice sounded in her head. Akko's eyes widened.

' _It's you! That voice from before! How can I hear you?'_

" _Don't worry about that right now. Do your thing, kid."_

' _My thing?'_

" _How you made the portal before! Jeeze, do I have to do everything?"_

' _Oh!'_ Akko realized, and concentrated on imagining the Pappiliodya being safe—being born and free so everyone can see them. Hope rose within her—she wanted to see them! She wanted to feel what only legends foretold!

' _Papillio Fillio Nymphodya!'_ she and the voice shouted in her mind.

A tidal wave of light erupted forth—reviving the cocoons anew. The cocoons cracked, and the Pappiliodya emerged rejuvenated, their gold wings spreading.

The whole garden was surrounded by lights of gold. Akko, Sucy, Lotte, Diana, and Birdy-san watched in wonder at the sight. The Pappiliodya left the Jennifer tree, soaring off into the sky for the whole campus to see.

"Go see!" Akko exclaimed, bouncing up and down with eagerness. Nevertheless, she wilted, the energy leaving her. Sucy supported her.

"What about her?" Lotte spoke and signed, gesturing towards the frozen Diana. Sucy gave Akko to Lotte before going over to Dian and poked her cheek.

"Meh, she'll unfreeze soon. I'm not really inclined to help her after what she said today." Sucy shrugged. She then walked forward, grasping Akko from the other side, leading them away from the frozen Diana.

' _Wait—they're just going to leave me here?'_ Diana thought. She then recalled Sucy's words of her actions and sighed. _'I suppose to them I do deserve it…'_

As she waited for herself to thaw, Diana let her thoughts about Akko Kagari run wild. How did Akko freeze her? She didn't remember any incantation was said from the girl's mouth, and how could she even accomplish such a high-level spell when she could even pronounce simple ones. And how did she come into possession of the Shiny Rod? None of this makes sense!

' _Her friends didn't even question how she did it! They know something!'_ Diana concluded. The more Diana pondered on one Akko Kagari, the more mysterious the girl was. She wanted to know the girl's secrets. _'Those three are hiding something!'_

But yet… the more Diana thought of any likely explanation, the more confused she became. It just wasn't possible to do what Akko did—especially the girl's circumstances. But here she was, frozen, and her earlier treatment of the girl smacking her in the face, and the fact that she let Hannah and Barbara treat another human being like that was appalling.

' _I thought she couldn't do any magic—that she was just admitted here out of pity.'_ Diana mused, remorse seeping into her body. _'I was proven wrong. No wonder they left me here…'_

Feeling came back into Diana's body, causing her to sigh in relief that the enchantment was wearing off. Once she was able to move her mouth and arm again, she undid the spell, still standing at the foot of the Jennifer tree.

' _Next time I see her, I will apologize.'_ Diana promised.

"The memorial tree! How splendid!" Headmistress Holbrooke exclaimed. Diana jumped, pivoting to see the headmistress, Hannah, Barbara and Finnelan.

"Diana cast a spell on the tree to make it better!" Hannah explained.

"Thank you, Diana." The headmistress said in gratitude. Akko's face popped into Diana's mind and she shook her head.

"No! I didn't do this!"

"Who else could possibly do this other than you?" Finnelan praised. Diana stared at all their proud faces and felt sick inside.

"Excuse me." Diana bidded farewell, not bothering to stay to hear a reply. She exited the garden house, looking up towards the sky. The glow of the Pappiliodya was still strong. "Is that…?"

And there was Sucy, Lotte, and Akko, flying in the air with all the Pappiliodya. An exhausted Akko was in between Sucy and Lotte as Lotte flew them through the orange sky. Diana gazed upon their expressions of contentment, and a sense of longing filled her.

' _I'm the best student at Luna Nova…'_ Diana thought, smiling bitterly. _'And yet those three have achieved something I'll probably never have…'_

* * *

There you guys go! Hope you guys enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think

Replies to Reviews:

Fireblade804- oh! I wasn't sure that was an option if one was completely deaf. That was my fault though. I didn't do my research right I guess. Sorry!


	5. Chapter 5

" _The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."_

—Mahatma Gandhi

* * *

Chapter Five:

Akko sat on the floor of the room she shared with Lotte and Sucy, narrowing her eyes in concentration. The Shiny Rod was across from her, laying innocently against the desk, propping it up. Akko drummed her fingers on her knees, impatient for something to happen, but alas, the rod stayed dormant.

' _Come on, I know you can hear me'_ Akko growled, making a face. The wand remained unresponsive. She clicked her tongue, bringing her hands up to sign.

"What? So you're just convenient when it suits you?" she asked the wand. The voice still didn't answer, and Akko stood up, signing angrily.

"Don't be stubborn! Sucy and Lotte are going to think I'm crazy soon because I'm the only one to hear you talk! Isn't it better to talk to me so we can work together better?"

The want remained silent.

Akko made a yell and grabbed it, shaking it violently like she was strangling it. That's when Ursula found her, blinking at the girl's display towards the Shiny Rod.

' _What in the world…?'_ Ursula thought, creeping closer and gently tapping the girl on the shoulder. Akko screamed, tensing up, and whipping around to face Ursula. The young witch blushed in embarrassment at being caught in such a position. Ursula gave her a soft smile to show she meant no harm.

"Sorry. I'm U-R-S-U-L-A." Ursula signed, and Akko recognized the amateur skill, showing the woman was very much a beginner. Regardless, Akko grinned, realizing that the woman specifically was trying to communicate to her in her language. She began signing, but Ursula stopped her, gesturing. "Still a beginner. Please go slower."

Akko nodded, taking her time, making sure to go at a slower pace so Ursula could know what she was saying.

"Sorry. I am very excited when others speak Sign. So far I have only encountered Lotte." She sheepishly signed. Ursula smiled.

"I had Headmistress H-O-L-B-R-O-O-K-E—" "Holbrooke." "Thank you—Holbrooke teach me some SSE since we realized BSL is vastly different from JSL." Ursula explained with hand gestures, the concept of talking with her hands foreign to her but seeing Akko's happy expression made her feel it was worth it.

"What brings you here, Professor Ursula?" Akko signed. Ursula had to think of the particular signs before replying, appearing to be struggling a bit, but getting her message conveyed.

"I am you're A-S-S-I-G-N-E-D—" "Assigned" "Oh okay! Thank you! Assigned guidance counselor."

"Counselor?" Akko voiced out, tilting her head. Ursula nodded. She held out a broom to the girl.

"This is a school issued broom." Ursula spook, making sure Akko could read her lips. Akko's eyes widened, grinning, as she snatched the broom, holding it close to her chest. Ursula smiled at the girl's enthusiasm.

" _I was simply captivated by her spirit—her desire to learn. It exceeded anyone's enthusiasm here, and I refused to tell her no just because of something she can't control."_ Holbrooke's words from before echoed in her mind, and Ursula understood what her colleague was talking about.

' _She certainly is a character.'_ Ursula mused. Her eyes then focused on the Shiny Rod. Remorse filled her as she gazed upon it. Akko noticed her staring at the Shiny Rod and grinned.

"It's Chariot's wand! I'm only keeping it safe for her until we find her, and I can return it! I'm sure she'll be happy to have it back!" Akko signed. Ursula didn't understand some of the signs, but the message was still conveyed. She was flustered, and she saw the girl's Shiny Chariot poster, becoming even more bashful.

"You should keep it." Ursula signed, looking away from her. Akko shook her head.

"Chariot's wand." Akko spoke, refusing to take possession of something her idol had ownership of "Believe is magic—makes magic come alive." Ursula felt unease, paranoid the girl would notice exactly who she was, and excused herself.

The older witch departed from Akko's dorm room, hurriedly making her way down the hallway. Akko's words ringing in her mind.

* * *

Akko was bouncing up and down as Lotte and Sucy watched her curiously.

"Is this your first time flying?" Lotte signed and spoke. Akko nodded. She took off her boot and showed them a scar.

"I got this when trying to fly when I was a kid." She put her boot back on and showed them other scars. "This one I got when trying to fly off a roof. My parents eventually had to lock up all the brooms in the house to prevent me from trying again and getting hurt." Akko explained with her hands.

"You can only fly because of the Sorcerer's Stone. It gives off magic allowing us to fly here." Sucy told her.

"Ah! I wish I knew that when I was a kid—it would've saved my parents a lot of heart attacks. I just wanted to fly!" Akko replied with sign.

"Your parents must really love you, Akko." Lotte remarked simultaneously doing hand gestures. Akko had a fond look on her face, remembering her mother and father back home. She wondered what they were doing right now. Were they worried about her? Did they get her letter yet? She hoped her letter would put them at ease that she was fine and that she made two good friends.

"I told them about you guys in my letter!" Akko signed. "I was so excited though I may have written a couple of pages about you guys…" she sheepishly gestured. Lotte and Sucy felt smiles bloom on their faces as Lotte translated for Sucy.

"I'm going to write to my family about you guys too!" Lotte said. Sucy frowned, Akko and Lotte noticing and wondering if she was okay.

"It's nothing." Sucy dismissed their concerns. "Akko, did you write to them about Shiny Rod or any of the non-verbal spellcasting you've done?" Akko shook her head.

"Of course not! They'd jump on the next plane and drag me back to Japan if they knew!" Akko signed. Lotte translated and Sucy inconspicuously sighed in relief, glad that Akko wouldn't be leaving any time soon.

"Oh! Speaking of that—were you able to figure out how you froze Diana? Did the Shiny Rod speak to you?" Lotte asked Akko. The brown-haired girl looked down-casted.

"No, the voice I heard hasn't said anything. Are you guys sure I froze Diana and not one of you did it?" the young witch signed. Lotte shook her head.

"Me and Sucy were watching out for roots. You were the only one focused on Diana. It had to have been you."

"Maybe there's something we're missing?" Sucy wondered, a pensive expression on her face.

"But what though?" Lotte asked. Sucy shrugged.

"Who knows? I'm sure it will come to us sooner or later."

Other witches entered the courtyard and the three wisely ended their conversation. Sucy and Lotte recognized some familiar witches from other covens but didn't know them well enough to greet. They moved closer to Akko when they caught sight of Diana, Hannah, and Barbara entering the field. Akko noticed, patting them on their shoulders to show it was fine. Nonetheless, the three of them tensed when they saw Diana eyeing them, wondering why she hadn't revealed anything to the professors about Akko's enchantment on her. However, the arrival of the professor diverted everyone's attention.

"Alright! Today we'll be working on speed for the returning students and flying lessons for the new ones! Everyone split off into your groups!" Nelson commanded. Lotte and Sucy stayed with Akko. Nelson raised an eyebrow when she found Sucy and Lotte with the new student Atsuko Kagari. "Miss Manbavaran, Miss Yanson, you two are not new. You should be with the other group."

"I will stay here." Sucy said, not leaving room for argument. Akko grinned at her, and Sucy smiled back.

"We wish to be with Akko's group, Professor." Lotte said, standing her ground with Sucy. Nelson's lips quirked up into a grin.

' _What loyalty in kids so young!'_ Nelson thought with glee, pride in their unity. Nelson remembered Holbrooke's faith in their resident deaf witch and saw how already she has earned the affection of her roommates. _'The kid probably won't be the greatest witch, but she certainly knows how to charm others.'_

"Alright then! You two will learn the basics with Miss Kagari!" Nelson conceded. She readied her broom. Lotte readied her hands to translate what Professor Nelson was saying to Akko. "Now you must put feeling and concentrate on what you want your broom to do! As always, you have to cast the incantation like with any spell in order to call out the spell's physical form. Now, ready your brooms and say the incantation!" Nelson instructed. Lotte was signing it all to Akko, who was nodding, resolve on her face that she would do all that.

"Tia Freyre!" Sucy and Lotte commanded, immediately taking flight.

"Tea Freyer!" Akko miscasted. Nothing happened. She clicked her tongue, trying again. She still remained on the ground. Sucy floated beside her.

"Tea-ah Frey-er." Sucy tried to convey the sound. Akko squinted, trying to recreate the sound in her mind from Sucy's lip movements, but it only further confused her.

"May I have your notebook?" Lotte signed. Akko handed it to her, taking the girl's pen and writing it down, showing it to Akko. Akko nodded, finding it easier now it was written down.

"Tea-ah Freyer?" Akko tried. Lotte shook her head, and Akko huffed, frustrated that she couldn't hear what she was sounding out. Sucy patted her shoulder in encouragement.

Cheers and yells of awe distracted Sucy and Lotte, turning their heads towards the sound. Akko, seeing her friends distracted, turned her head as well and saw people praising Diana for something—most likely her flying prowess, and Akko felt angry with herself. She could do that too if she wanted! She would fly too!

"Tea Freyer! Tea Freyer! Tea Freyer!" Akko shouted in frustration, bouncing up and down on her broom, trying to fly. Lotte and Sucy looked at her in concern. Nelson sighed, placing a hand on her forehead.

"Hey Akko! Can't fly yet, huh?" Barbara shouted. Akko was too busy trying to fly. Hannah and Barbara snickered, readying their wands to shoot a spell at her, but suddenly an angry spirit sprung from the ground and started chasing them. Hannah and Barbara shrieked. Lotte was murmuring her spell while Sucy watched in amusement. Neither of their attentions were on Akko, who was still trying to fly.

Akko felt her arm being pulled and turned to see Diana yanking her onto her broomstick. Akko dropped her own broom in surprise, tumbling onto Diana's broom. Diana quickly made sure she was secure before taking off while everyone's attentions were diverted. Akko yelped, the speed of the broom soaring through the sky causing her to grip onto Diana tightly. They flew over trees, settling onto a desolate part of the school's campus. Akko hurriedly climbed off the broom when they landed, staring warily at Diana like she was a lion about to devour her. Diana placed her broom down by a tree, pivoting towards Akko quickly. Akko backed up when Diana came closer, a determined glint in her eyes.

Was Diana going to punish her for freezing her with the Pappiliodya? Great, she was only at Luna Nova for a short time and already she was going to be vaporized by the top student! Guess her mother and father will be experiencing another heart attack after all...

Akko shut her eyes, standing her ground, awaiting a blast, but nothing came. Instead, Diana patted her head hesitantly, prompting Akko to open her eyes. Diana then made hand gestures, and Akko tilted her head, confused at what she was doing. However, that appeared to not be the reaction Diana wanted as Diana's hands continued to wave in weird patterns, a frustrated expression erupting on her face.

"Ugh!" Diana exclaimed, throwing her hands down, making Akko jump at her body language. "How do you talk?"

Akko blinked, pondering if she read Diana's lips correctly, and mouthed 'talk?'

"Yes! I wish to speak to you with your language!" Diana replied, vexed with herself. She wasn't used to not being skilled in something. Yet, when Akko comprehended what Diana was trying to explain, the answering smile was enough to make Diana feel what she trying to do was like an important treasure. Diana's heart skipped a beat at Akko's smile. Quickly, Akko took out her pen and notepad and wrote to Diana, showing her the pad.

 _You want to talk to me using Sign? Really?_

Diana gazed into Akko's hopeful eyes, and found herself relaxing, being at ease at the girl's honest deposition.

"Yes." She confessed. "I… I want to talk to you. My family… my family was full of healers, but we didn't deal with the hearing impaired due to there being no magical cure and that has made me blind to how they are also capable just like anyone else. I grew arrogant thinking I knew what was better for you than yourself because I knew you couldn't be cured. I've realized now that I was ignorant with you. I want to apologize, and I want to do it your way if you would show me."

Akko absorbed what Diana said, eyes watery. Diana was the first person to ask her to teach her Sign Language at Luna Nova. It touched Akko that Diana wanted to communicate with her using her language rather than just speaking to her and expecting her to read her lips. The sincerity of Diana's expression, piled with her words, made tears come to Akko's eyes. Diana's own eyes widened, alarmed that Akko was crying.

"I-I'm sorry! Are you upset? I know I don't deserve your forgiveness—"

"No. Happy." Akko spoke, interrupting her while clasping Diana's hands tenderly. "You first to ask." Akko told her. She let go of the other girl's hands and held her hands up. "Repeat." She commanded, demonstrating the sign for 'Sorry'. Diana mirrored her hands, replicating the hand gestures back to her. "You forgiven." Akko spoke and signed.

Diana stared at Akko in shock.

"Just like that?" Diana asked. Akko nodded.

"You and I friends." Akko told her, verbally and through sign. Diana was furthered surprised.

"You… want to be friends? With me?" Diana pointed to herself. Akko grinned, signing and speaking again.

"Yes. You and I friends." The brown-haired girl confirmed. Diana felt humbled by the other girl's kindness. A sense of excitement entered her, the prospect of being friends with Akko like Sucy and Lotte are made her feel warm. She grasped Akko's hands, holding them between the two of them.

"Please teach me more!" Diana beseeched. "I want to talk to you! I promise I will be a good student." She vowed. Akko blinked, then grinned, squeezing Diana's hands.

"Okay." She agreed.

Both girls shared smiles, a bond forged between them.

* * *

Sorry chapter was short—took a break from homework to write this. Please let me know what you think if you can!

Replies to Reviews

Egnarregnar- thank you! Unfortunately, there will be more canon-divergence in the future like with the origin of the Shiny Rod so I hope that is okay. There will be some OOCness but I hope it isn't too cringy.

frankness- thank you! No one else was affected the way Akko was. She doesn't realize Chariot is the cause of her deafness but does acknowledge it happened during the performance. She knows it is strange to suddenly become deaf, but since there is no explanation, she prefers to just move on and not dwell on something she'll probably never get an answer to. Mr. Holbrooke's deafness I am probably thinking he lost his hearing due to being a bell-ringer, but didn't hate or quit his job because he loved it, showing Miranda even dealt with tragedy, there is still happiness and hope. Yes, Diana is more like ova-Diana for a bit, but she quickly realized that what she was doing was wrong and set to right her wrongs.


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you all so much for all the responses! Here's a quick update! I'm sick right now so I have to stay in bed.

* * *

" _Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."_

—Harriet Tubman

* * *

Chapter Six:

Diana and Akko prepared to head back towards the dorms when a potion bottle broke, creating smoke. Diana and Akko coughed, but Akko was yanked quickly from the cloud of smoke. However, the person grabbing her didn't account for that Akko would latch onto Diana, pulling her too. Sucy blinked when she fished Akko out of the smoke to find she was dragging Diana with her. Her visible eye narrowed.

"Why did you steal her, Diana? So you could give her payback for freezing you?"

Lotte was checking Akko with her wand, making sure the smoke didn't damage anything in her body. Akko looked between Lotte and Sucy glaring at Diana and Diana glaring back and quickly rushed between them, shielding Diana.

"She's not an enemy! We're friends now!" Akko signed. Lotte blinked.

"Akko, you do remember how Diana acts right?" Lotte signed and spoke, Diana glared, crossing her arms.

"I may have been a terrible person to her, but you really think I would cast some sort of spell on her? Are you crazy?"

"I don't know—you did let your lackey call her a defect." Sucy hissed. Diana winced.

"I… I have no excuse. I was so focused on the Shiny Rod and finding answers, I didn't immediately chastise Barbara and Hannah for their remarks. I of all people should know that no one is defected despite their disabilities. For that, I deserve your scorn." Diana mourned. Akko stared at her, and Diana signed 'sorry' to Akko again, who took it in stride and placed an arm around her, gazing at Lotte and Sucy.

"Friends now." Akko spoke with conviction. She then signed "She said sorry. She knows what she did was wrong. Let's be her friends!"

Sucy and Lotte exchanged looks before turning to look at the brown-haired and blonde-haired witches.

"She better behave." Sucy finally said, relaxing her shoulders. Lotte gave them a smile.

"Are you going to tell the professors about what Akko did?" Lotte asked. Diana shook her head.

"As far as I am concerned, I don't even know what I would tell them even if I wanted to." She replied. Akko bounced excitedly.

"Let's tell her!" Akko signed.

"Lotte, is she saying what I hope she isn't saying?" Sucy groaned, reading Akko's eager expression. Lotte sighed, smiling tiredly.

"It _would_ be beneficial to have a witch prodigy to help us with this." Lotte conceded to Akko, signing and speaking for everyone's benefit. Akko grinned, hugging Diana to her, who blushed at Akko's abrasiveness.

"One of us!" Akko told Diana cheerfully, who gave a polite smile, not wanting to reveal her urge to snuggle into Akko as well at being accepted.

"What exactly is it you're all talking about?" Diana questioned, the mystery of these three witches growing bigger with each sentence they spoke. Said witches glanced at each other before looking at her.

"Perhaps we could go somewhere private?" Lotte suggested. Diana, Akko, and Sucy agreed.

* * *

Birdy-san flew to Akko excitedly when they entered their dorm room. Akko giggled, placing Birdy-san on her head while Diana, Sucy, and Lotte took seats on the floor. They all sat in a circle, wondering who should start.

"I start!" Akko exclaimed, jumping up and retrieving Shiny Rod, presenting it to them. "Chariot's wand appeared to me in the forest of Arcturus!" she signed. Lotte translated for Diana and Sucy.

"If you don't mind, I would like it if you go slower, Akko, so I can learn Sign while Lotte translates for you." Diana requested the brown-haired witch. Akko felt her heart swell, grinning and making sure to go slower with her hand gestures so Diana can follow along with her signing.

"It all looks like gibberish to me." Sucy stated, but not in a malicious way. She just didn't understand how hand gestures meant words or had meanings. However, she knew it was Akko's main way of communicating, and therefore she respected it—even if she preferred Akko's voice because she liked the sound.

"Right! Anyway! So Chariot's wand appeared to me, but I heard a voice in my head and it told me the spell to cast a portal to the school!" Akko signed, Lotte repeating what she was saying while Akko was signing. Diana furrowed her brow.

"A voice, but you can't—"

"That's what we said too, but she heard it again with the Pappiliodya. It talks in her head." Sucy interrupted. Diana had a pensive expression.

"Interesting. Do you know who the voice is?"

"I don't" Akko signed, reading Diana's lips, with Lotte translating. "It just talks to me when Shiny Rod reacts in times of peril."

"We think the Shiny Rod may be reading when Akko is distressed or emotional." Lotte added.

"It could be possible the Shiny Rod is sentient. It's a very powerful magical item." Diana told them. Sucy, Akko, and Lotte thought about that, pondering if that was the case.

"Do we know who created the Shiny Rod?" Akko signed. Lotte shook her head.

"No one really knows the origin of the Shiny Rod. Its history was lost to time I'm afraid." Lotte said and signed. Akko's shoulders slumped.

"That doesn't explain how Akko has been able to do magic without incanting…" Diana reminded them.

"We're not sure of that ourselves. We don't know if it's because of Shiny Rod or her own abilities." Sucy responded.

"But the time she froze me, she didn't use Shiny Rod." Diana pointed out. Here, the other three looked really confused.

"We had thought that it was because of Shiny Rod, but you're right—Akko did non-verbal casting without its magic when confronting you before." Lotte remarked.

"But you guys said magic needs a medium to be cast. It can't have physical form otherwise." Akko signed, Lotte speaking as she gestured.

"I've heard of nonverbal magic, but it takes a lot of energy out of the caster—it can cause death if one's not careful." Diana explained. Akko, Sucy, and Lotte blanched.

"That would explain why she was passed out cold the first time and almost fainted the second time with Shiny Rod." Sucy recalled.

"But she didn't faint when freezing Diana! She was only exhausted a bit." Lotte reminded Sucy.

"There always has to be a medium. You can't just wave your wand and expect it to work without an incantation of some kind." Diana mused. Akko read Diana's lips, eyes widening in realization.

"Hands!" Akko exclaimed loudly. Diana, Sucy, Lotte, and Birdy-san winced at the volume before registering what she said. Their own eyes widened, as Akko continued signing frantically, Lotte speaking.

"'I was signing at the time when I stopped Diana! I was desperate for her to stop and all I could see in my mind was Diana standing still! My hands just signed out of reflex!' Is it really possible?!" Lotte translated and then yelled.

"It can't be that easy." Sucy said. Diana was thinking hard.

"I've never heard of such a case, but Sign is still a language, even if it's a language of hands. I would imagine a lot of feeling and visualization would need to go into signing a spell out instead of using oral incantation and a wand. It probably is a lot harder to accomplish." Diana eventually said.

"But it's not impossible." Akko signed with Lotte speaking. Diana glanced at her.

"In theory, yes." Diana conceded.

"Let's try it!" Lotte suggested. She turned to Akko. "Akko! What is the sign for 'light'?"

Akko demonstrated the sign in SSE, the others copying. Akko turned determinedly to them all.

"Diana said a lot of visualization and feeling needed to go into this. Everyone must be really intense with their visualizations!" Akko signed, Lotte speaking for her. They all nodded.

They sat in the circle, quiet, and they closed their eyes, concentrating on the image of a glow in their mind. They poured their eagerness and desperation for answers into the image. The image was clear in their mind, and their eyes snapped open as they signed.

"LIGHT!" they signed together. Suddenly, a large light blazed in the middle of the floor before dissolving into sparks. They gasped in disbelief.

"…Did that just happen?" Sucy finally spoke. Lotte, Diana, and Akko just stared at the now empty floor. Lotte adjusted her glasses, taking them off to clean them before placing them back on.

"It worked…" Lotte murmured dazed. A giant grin erupted on Akko's face as she screamed in joy, startling Birdy-san from her head. She embraced Sucy, Diana, and Lotte to her. The three soon began laughing, sharing in Akko's joy, hugging her as well.

No one noticed the window ajar, a mechanical bug placed there.

* * *

"No way…" Amanda murmured, before grinning in victory at Jasminka and Constanze who was broadcasting what the four witches were saying to them in their own dorm room. Amanda let out a whoop of delight and clapped Constanze on the shoulder. "Wow! Good thing I thought to bring you along, Constanze or else I wouldn't be able to spy on them!"

"Why are we spying on them exactly?" Jasminka asked, munching on some chips.

"Why not? I knew something was up when Princess Cavendish kidnapped Akko Kagari and flew off with her and those two chased after them! We've hit a gold mine here!"

 _We didn't really see anything though so for all you know it could be false._ Constanze wrote on her board. Amanda scoffed, waving her off.

"Nonsense! They don't know you put a bug there so it's genuine! They know a new way to do magic, and Akko Kagari is teaching them it!" Amanda said, convinced of her own theory.

 _How does that help us exactly?_ Constanze wrote. Amanda smirked.

"She's going to help me steal the Shooting Star for the Broom Rally."

* * *

Sorry it is short! I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think!

Replies to Reviewers

Guest- Thank you so much! I'm glad you found Diana believable! I hoped people would like her apologizing to Akko using Sign.

Shigiya- Yes, Lotte and Sucy are ahead.

ThatFanFicGuy- I'm thinking probably not since she needs magic reserves more to do Signed magic. With Signed magic, they'll all be novices due to it takes different types of rules and Akko is more used to doing it since she uses Sign naturally.


	7. Chapter 7

First, I would like to say Thanks so much for the response of this story! I really enjoy reading all of your comments and feedback!

Adding to that, I noticed some people are uncomfortable with the nature of this story, and I do apologize for that if it seems mean-spirited—that wasn't my intention. I am basically following the whole "A flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all." Quote where I want to write a story about a character overcoming adversity but do a different take on it as I noticed not a lot of people write deaf characters—instead doing mute or blind as common ones, and I wanted to try a deaf character. It won't always be like this. The whole point of this story was for me to experiment with a deaf character, the underdog formula, and to commentary on things that actually can happen.

Some people have said they can't really believe that teachers or people can act like this, but I've gotten shit from teachers, been denied accommodations, etc. I'm not deaf—I have PTSD—and these things have happened to me. I don't know what is the case for the HOH population, so I cannot speak for them, but I do know sometimes the disabled community can get shat on instead of receiving help. That said, in my own experience, I have received great support from my peers and doctors outside of school, but I have had run-ins with teachers, therapists, family, former friends, etc. about my disability in negative connotations. I'm sorry if you have felt uncomfortable, and if you don't want to read this story because it makes you uncomfortable, then that's okay.

Fair warning, I think I didn't write Amanda, Constanze, or Jasminka very well so I'm so sorry for that.

Credit for the term "Sign Casting" goes to DeGraphics Literature on

Disclaimer: I don't own Little Witch Academia

* * *

" _A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom."_

—Bob Dylan

* * *

Chapter Seven:

"F-L-O-W-E-R. Flower."

"Flower."

"S-U-N-S-H-I-N-E. Sunshine."

"Sunshine."

"You're catching on quickly, Diana." Lotte said amazed as Akko was demonstrating signs for Diana to follow. Diana gave a smile.

"At first, I didn't quite understand, but once we practiced the alphabet, I found it easier." Diana told them, signing to Akko, "How do you say S-M-I-L-E?"

"Smile." Akko demonstrated the sign. She beamed when Diana signed to her, "Your smile is like sunshine." Her cheeks turned pink at the compliment, giggling. Diana flushed in shyness, but found she liked complimenting the girl.

Lotte, Diana, and Akko were having a signing session on the floor of the dorm room Sucy, Akko, and Lotte shared. Sucy was mediating on her bed while the other three were relaxing on the floorboards.

"I like it when Diana smiles." Akko signed, grinning. "You look a lot more at peace."

"What was the last sign?" Diana gestured.

"P-E-A-C-E. Peace." Akko finger spelled and repeated the sign. Diana felt herself warm from the compliment.

"Akko's right, Diana. You seem more relaxed." Lotte spoke and signed.

"I… it's been so long since I got to hang out and just talk to people without being expected to do things for them or uphold an image." Diana said. Akko looped an arm around her, grinning.

"One of us!" she cheered. Despite her loud tone, no one winced. They found her statement to be very heartfelt, and they agreed with her sentiment.

Sadly though, all things must come to an end.

"I should probably head back. Hannah and Barbara are probably wondering where I am." Diana rose up from the floor. Sucy cracked her eye open.

"I assume you'll want to keep it a secret you hung out with us?" she snarked. Nonetheless, she was surprised when Diana shook her head.

"I don't wish to hide my friendship with you three. If Hannah and Barbara or anyone else doesn't like it, I don't care what they think. I'm tired of trying to uphold an image that doesn't give me any benefits to myself." Diana explained with conviction. The other three witches smiled at her, proud she was making changes to help herself.

"Will you be back?" Akko signed. Diana gave her a gentle smile, finding her eagerness infectious.

"Yes. I want to learn more about this new form of magic using Sign." Diana told her, and Akko smiled.

"What should we call it? We should probably come up with a name." Sucy asked. Lotte looked pensive.

"How about 'Sign Casting'? It's simple and catchy." Lotte answered, beaming at them in excitement. The others nodded in approval, glee at their discovery of this new form of magic.

"Sounds good." Diana said and signed. With that, she departed their dorm room, leaving the three witches behind.

"Ah! I didn't realize it was that late." Lotte said, noticing the time. The sky outside was dark and the moon shined brightly in the night. The three of them hurriedly got changed into their pajamas and climbed into their beds. Sucy and Lotte set forth on going to sleep. Akko, however, took shelter under her covers, Birdy-san and her sharing a look before she stuck her tongue out in concentration.

"LIGHT" she signed, a small spark coming forth, but dying quickly. She huffed, not one to be discouraged, and began practicing again.

* * *

"Light…" Akko signed tiredly, a spark sizzling out. She didn't know how long she was awake for, but she was determined to produce a light that could sustain itself until she said so. She figured out a lot of visualization and feeling went into the casting, and if one didn't perfect their visualization, or the feelings that went into it, it wasn't going to work. It was also important to make sure the sign is precise when casting.

She figured once someone honed those skills, Sign Casting could become like second nature like any oral incantation. Sign Language was ingrained in her like muscle memory—she just needed to get skilled in imaging and feeling.

Akko began dozing off, eyes shutting of their own accord. Birdy-san pecked her to keep her awake. Akko squeaked quietly, startled, but patted Birdy-san when she found he was trying to help her stay awake. She prepared herself to sign again, but a glow outside of her blanket fort caught her eye. She uncovered herself, and she found herself face-to-face with a green glow, floating in the middle of the room. She got up from her bed, creeping closer to it, reaching to touch it, but the light then moved swiftly towards the window, beckoning her.

Akko put on her sneakers, curious about the glow, and Birdy-san quickly flew to her head to prevent her from going alone. She sneaked towards the door and exited, making sure to do everything softly so she didn't wake Sucy and Lotte.

Racing outside, Akko shivered when she realized she didn't have a jacket but kept going to where the light at her window was. Arriving at the foot of the window, the glow noticed her and flew away, beseeching her to follow. Akko narrowed her eyes in determination, pursuing the ball of light. This could be the sign from the Shiny Rod she was looking for! Maybe finally the voice wanted to speak to her and give her answers!

' _Maybe I should've woken up Sucy and Lotte…'_ Akko thought, but shook her head. It's too late now and she was going to see this through. She could do things herself—she didn't always need Lotte and Sucy to protect her. She was beginning to feel like a constant burden towards them because they hovered over her so much because of everyone's treatment of her. _'I'm a big girl! Just like I told Kaa-san and Tou-san! I'm capable just like anyone else!'_

Birdy-san squirmed on her head, realizing they were walking further into the woods, away from the dorm. Akko cooed at him, trying to reassure the stuffed bird that everything was fine. The glow beckoned her further, flying around in hurried movements to make her go faster. Urgency filled her, and her heart pounded in anticipation.

Finally, after a while, Akko and Birdy-san found themselves surrounded by trees. Akko figured this must be a desolate part of the school grounds as only the moon served as a source of illumination. The glow stopped short, sizzling out at last, and Akko was left with only the moon to light up her way.

"Voice?" she asked, searching around. She stepped forward, squinting her eyes. Suddenly, something tightened around her leg, yanking her upward. Birdy-san was flung from her head, flapping to safety as Akko screamed. She found herself hanging upside down from a tree branch, the blood rushing to her head.

She frantically searched, trying to find an enemy, and her eyes widened when she caught sight of three Luna Nova students revealing themselves from the bushes. Akko could barely make out their green sashes, and the tall one looked like she was laughing in delight while the big pink haired girl was munching on chips and the small blue haired girl had a stoic expression.

"Help!" Akko cried, hoping her voice would get their attention. They glanced up at her and the tall one appeared to be laughing. Akko squinted, frustrated she couldn't read any of their lips as they talked to each other.

* * *

"Wow! Can't believe that was so easy!" Amanda grinned, surveying the caught Akko. She turned to Constanze. "Nice trap, Constanze!"

The blue haired girl gave her a thumbs up. Jasminka continued to munch on her chips. Amanda then directed her attention towards Akko.

"Hey you! We got you in our trap now so you gotta do what we say!" Amanda told the trapped witch. However, Akko continued crying for help and struggling. Amanda sweat-dropped. "Right… she can't hear. Whoops."

"Maybe she'll calm down if we give her food?" Jasminka suggested.

* * *

Akko watched them talking to each other and her eyes narrowed in realization. They weren't here to help her—they were the ones that captured her! She immediately set forth to trying to free herself from the rope, but the clamp was tight. She readied her hands, the image of a sliced rope clear in her mind, desperation flooding to her finger-tips.

"CUT" she signed. The rope was sliced by an invisible force, and Akko plummeted to the ground. She maneuvered herself so she landed on her stomach, propping herself up quickly even though she was in immense pain, and propelled forward into a sprint.

Nevertheless, her victory was short-lived as tiny robots blocked her path of escape, their flashing lights shining angrily at her. She pivoted herself towards another direction, but more robots came to stop her. A hand clamped itself on her shoulder and she turned, swinging her fist forward. Her fist landed on its intended target and the tall one doubled over. Ropes burst from the robots, capturing her and rendering her hands useless at her sides. Her crimson eyes were like an inferno, glaring at the three witches. The witches lit up their wands, the small girl producing a flashlight instead.

"Damn, that was some punch." The tall one's lips read, wiping her bloody lip with an impressed grin. The pink haired witch just had a smile on her face as she ate snacks, and the smallest one had the same stoic expression on her face. "We should've accounted for her using her magic to free herself." The tall one said to her companion.

 _I miscalculated she could be sharp when in turmoil._ The small girl wrote on her chalk board. Akko's eyes widened.

' _She's mute!'_ Akko realized, recalling being told about another witch at the academy with a disability who was using magitek instead of actual magic due to not being able to incant. _'How did she make all these robots?'_

Her attention was called back to the tall girl as the orange and red-haired girl grasped her chin, and Akko focused on her lips as she talked.

"Relax. We mean no harm. We just needed to use your services with that nifty Sign Casting." The girl told her, and Akko's eyes expanded at the information. How did they know about Sign Casting?!

' _They must've spied on us!'_ Akko concluded in fury, struggling against her restraints. She spat in the girl's face, and instead of backing off, the girl was amused and patted Akko on the head like she was a little kid who she was fond of.

"Man! You are just a treat!" the tall girl appeared to have said. Her bright green eyes sparked with mischief. "You're just what we need."

* * *

Birdy-san observed from the shadows, watching the three witches lead Akko away from the woods towards their destination. He flapped towards where Sucy and Lotte were frantically to get help.

* * *

Akko glared at the tall witch's back as her kidnappers lead her what appeared to be the town where the Leyline station was. She glanced down at the cuffs in dismay as she felt all her magic seeped from her. The small blue haired girl presented her a chalk board.

 _They're cuffs that lock up magical reserves. You can't use any Sign Casting until we removed them._ It said. She handed Akko the chalk board and chalk, in order to communicate with her.

 _You're mute._ Akko wrote. It wasn't a question. She handed the board back to the smaller girl.

 _And you're deaf._ Was her response.

 _If you know that, then why are you preventing me from signing? That's how I talk. You wouldn't like it if someone took away your chalk board, would you?_ Akko wrote annoyed. The girl read her response and it appeared to have affected her.

 _I'm sorry. We just don't want you escaping._ The small girl wrote, a sincere shine in her eyes, _I'm Constanze. Jasminka's the one eating chips and Amanda's the loud one._

Akko snorted and pointed to her ears, and Constanze understood what exactly she wrote.

 _Sorry. She's the one who you punched._

 _Thanks._

 _I'm not used to communicating with someone who has a disability like me. I'm so used to everyone being fully functional._

 _You ARE fully functional._ Akko passionately wrote, jamming her finger onto the statement to emphasize. _And so am I! Just because I can't hear, and you can't speak doesn't mean that we're less capable than anyone else._

 _But I can't do proper magic…_ here Constanze furrowed her brow in irritation at her handicap. Akko speedily wrote down her response.

 _But you learned another way that is good for you! Just because Magitek isn't traditional doesn't mean it's a weaker form. You can control robots! As far as I am concerned that is pretty impressive!_ She presented the board to Constanze with an encouraging grin. The girl looked shocked.

 _No one's ever praised me for using Magitek besides these two._ Constanze told her. Akko's eyes widened.

 _But it's so cool!_ Akko wrote.

 _You three are the only ones to think so…_ A dejected glint appeared in Constanze's eyes and Akko wondered how many times Constanze has been rejected because she was different. She remembered when she came to Luna Nova and how everyone acted with her besides Lotte and Sucy, and she found she empathized with the smaller girl. She had been only dealing with it for a short time, but Constanze was here longer, and therefore had to put up with others putting her down because she couldn't cast traditionally more. Akko reached out, grasping the girl's hands, resolve stirring within her. She gently took the chalk board from Constanze with her permission, jotting down her response.

 _Would you like to learn Sign Casting?_

Constanze's eyes widened, gazing at her. In that moment, all Akko saw was a vulnerable girl who just wanted to fit in with her peers but was so hardened by rejection that she began pushing others away except for Amanda and Jasminka—she knew then she was making the right decision.

 _You are aware I kidnapped you against your will, yes?_ Constanze wrote, making sure Akko didn't damage her brain from her fall earlier.

 _I am very much aware_ here Akko laughed a bit as she held up her bound hands. _But you want to help your friend, and I'm the way to do it. I can't say if Sucy or Lotte needed me for something, I would outright say no either. You must love Amanda a lot to follow her, even if she's doing something bad._ She wrote.

 _It's just for a dumb broom rally. Amanda wants to beat Diana._ Constanze rolled her eyes. Akko scoffed.

 _Well that explains why she's crazy enough to do a kidnapping to do it. Diana is good on a broom._ Akko praised Diana, remembering her skills on a broom. She hoped one day she would be able to be that talented in broom work like her. _I'm not sabotaging Diana's broom though so you're out of luck._ Akko refused to hurt her new friend.

 _No, Amanda just wants you to steal something._ Constanze explained. Akko furrowed her brow in confusion.

 _Like what?_ She asked. Constanze scribbled out her reply.

 _A broom that's so fast it's said to have crossed the Atlantic Ocean in one go. It doesn't need the magic from the sorcerer's stone to fly either._

Akko's had a shocked expression on her face. A broom that didn't need the magic of the Sorcerer's Stone? That sounded like a very powerful broom.

 _The store has magical wards that can detect wand magic, but if you use Sign Casting, you might be able to get passed the security measures._ Constanze told her. _I promise we'll let you go as soon as you get the Shooting Star._

 _And if I refuse?_ Akko wrote. Constanze shrugged.

 _Amanda said something about "or else" but never specified. I believe her words were "I'm so awesome she'll just do it."_ Here Constanze gave Akko her usual deadpan stare.

 _I see._ Akko sweat dropped.

 _If you do this, we'll keep quiet about your Sign Casting. Finnelan would probably have an aneurysm and try to get you expelled for "butchering tradition."_ Constanze promised. Akko rolled her eyes, snorting.

 _While I would normally decline since I could care less about Finnelan, I don't want Sucy, Lotte, and Diana to go down with me. Sign Casting is still new—the less eyes on us the better._ Akko agreed. She gave the smaller witch a sincere look _My offer still stands regardless. You wanna learn Sign Casting just say the word._

 _Why?_ Constanze asked, gazing at her in suspicion. _You have no reason to teach me._

Akko took the offered chalkboard, scribbling out her reply, her eyes passionate.

 _I know what it's like to be trapped in your own head, not being able to properly communicate with the world._ She presented the board to Constanze before erasing and resumed writing more. _Believing in Chariot helped me break out of my cage—showed me I still have a voice and that I'm not alone as long as I believe in myself. I want to show others that they aren't alone either! My belief is my magic after all! Chariot showed me that!_

Constanze stared at her in disbelief. The brown-haired witch's gaze did not waver, her conviction clear on her face.

 _You're a strange one._ Constanze wrote. Finally, they came to a stop in front of a shop. Akko noticed it was some kind of magic shop. Amanda guided them in the shadows and lit up her wand.

"Okay, Miss Sign Caster," Amanda began, Akko reading her lips. "I want you to unlock the door and take down all the wards. When that's done, you come out and let us in." Amanda ordered. Akko sighed dejectedly, knowing she couldn't do anything until they removed her cuffs. Amanda grinned, seeing Akko nod, and patted Constanze on the head. "Don't bother trying to run cause Constanze will send her robots after you. Got it?"

Akko nodded, holding out her restrained wrists impatiently. Once free, she felt her magic surging through her like a sudden adrenaline rush. Then she made her way to the entrance begrudgingly.

"Hey Constanze," Amanda leaned down, whispering. "You two seemed really chatty on the way here. What were you talking about?" she asked.

 _She offered to teach me Sign Casting._ Constanze wrote. Amanda's eyes widened, but then a grin overtook her face.

"Really? Wow, she's a good sport! You interested?" Amanda inquired. Constanze looked torn. "You seem to be thinking really hard. She say anything else?"

 _Not really anything worth you knowing…_ Constanze replied.

* * *

Sucy groaned, swatting at the point that was jabbing her. Her red eyes cracked open, preparing to smite the object. Yet, when she saw it was Birdy-san, she woke up fully. Usually, Birdy-san slept with Akko.

' _Akko better not be waking me for something dumb.'_ She thought waspishly.

"Hey Akko! Tell Birdy-san to go to bed." Sucy ordered, turning her head to face Akko's bed so the girl could read her lips. Nevertheless, her eyes widened when she saw Akko wasn't there. "Akko?" she called, despite the fact that Akko wouldn't hear her, looking around to find her. Birdy-san pecked her forehead hard, Sucy wincing, deciding to throw him but he flew to the open window away from her, pointing his beak towards outside. A sense of forbidding filled Sucy as she quickly got up from her bed to approach Birdy-san. "Where's Akko, Birdy-san?"

Birdy-san continued to point towards the horizon. Alarm seized Sucy at the implied message. She hurriedly climbed up to Lotte's bed, shaking her.

"Wake up, Lotte!" Sucy urged. Lotte groaned, tiredly sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"Sucy? What's going on?" Lotte yawned, stretching.

"Akko's missing. Birdy-san woke me up and is frantically pointing outside." Sucy replied with a severe expression. Immediately, Lotte sprung up at Sucy's words.

"Akko's gone?! Where is she?" Lotte panicked, retrieving her glasses.

"I don't know, but Birdy-san might." Sucy said. The two speedily threw on bath robes, grabbing their brooms and wands.

"It's dark! How are we supposed to locate her with just the two of us?" Lotte fretted. Sucy grabbed a shirt of Akko's.

"We're not. Diana has the largest range with tracking and detection spells. Let's go get her."

"Oh right! Good idea!"

They exited their dorm room, Birdy-san in tow, and crept through the hallways as quickly, yet silently, as possible. Arriving at Diana's dorm, Lotte hastily knocked over and over until a cross Barbara answered. She glared when she saw who it was.

"What do you two want? Leave before I call the professors!" Barbara commanded. Lotte glared back, preparing to fire out a retort, but Sucy jumped in.

"We need Diana. Akko's missing."

"Ha! And why should I care—Ack!"

Barbara was promptly shoved out of the way revealing a disheveled Diana.

"Akko's missing? What happened?" she demanded.

"We don't know. It happened when we were sleeping. Birdy-san came to get us." Sucy shrugged.

"Birdy-san?" Diana blinked.

"Her animated plush Sucy made for her." Lotte supplied.

"I see. Well, let's go then." Diana said, retrieving a bath robe, her broom, and her wand. Barbara recovered from Diana's assault and spluttered.

"D-Diana, are you serious? Why would you help that—"

"Say anything against Akko and I will not associate with you anymore, Barbara!" Diana threatened. Barbara clamped her mouth shut immediately. Diana than left with Sucy and Lotte, leaving a shell-shocked Barbara behind.

"Did that just happen?" Hannah asked Barbara, just as confused.

* * *

"Do you have something of Akko's?" Diana asked the two as they left the dorm building. Sucy held up the shirt she took. She grimaced at the odor, pinching her nose.

"She's gotta stop binging on pickled plums…" Sucy commented. Diana prepared her wand.

"Semita!" she casted. The shirt glowed green, a thread of light springing out and connecting to where Akko was.

"Tia Freyre!" they cried, their brooms launching from the ground. They followed the thread.

* * *

Meanwhile, Akko was examining the lock, pondering what to do. She was incredibly tired. Would her Sign Casting even work? She was extremely exhausted and had been using it excessively.

' _Well, I don't really have another option'_ Akko thought, squaring her shoulders. She had to protect her friends just like they have protected her. She took a deep breath, relaxing her posture. Her mind zeroed in on the lock, imagining it unlatching for her. _'Come on! I'm tired!'_ Akko poured all her frustration and fatigue into her signing.

"UNLOCK" she signed. However, instead of simply unlocking, the entire lock and door knob blew clean off. She yelped, dodging the flying metal.

' _Guess I put a little too much annoyance into it…'_ Akko sweat dropped. She cautiously reached forward, pushing the door open, the moonlight flooding in from the outside. She made sure to take soft steps in the establishment, the door swinging shut behind her. She squeaked, darkness overtaking her sight. She huffed, bringing her hands forward.

"LIGHT" she quickly signed, sparks erupting from the air, allowing her to catch a quick view of the shop before going out. Akko growled. Seems like she still couldn't sustain a glow…

She held her hands out forward, feeling her way around to where the Shooting Star would hopefully be. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, finding odd trinkets and potion ingredients on the shelves. She made sure she was careful with how she walked around, not wanting to break anything or sound an alarm.

Her hand landed on a glass case, and she moved closer to inspect it. Though, she jumped away when the case violently rattled. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest at the sudden movement. She warily approached the case, placing her face closer to inspect it. She squinted, making out the shape of a broom. She pressed her face against the glass, eyes roaming over the silhouette of the what she assumed was the Shooting Star.

The case rattled intensely again. Akko cried as she fell back and landed on her butt. She propped herself up with her hands, staring in apprehension of the glass case. She screamed when a flashlight suddenly illuminated the room, and Akko whipped her head around to see Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka, the former two gazing down at her impatiently.

"Remove the wards already! You're taking too long." Amanda's lips read. Akko turned back to the trembling case, eyes taking in the chained-up broom for the first time. It was struggling against its restraints greatly, but the chains wouldn't budge. Akko's eyes widened.

' _The broom's alive!'_ she realized shocked. Her eyes narrowed then, fury stirring within her. _'They're keeping it a prisoner!'_ She quickly got up from the floorboards and glared at the three witches.

"Broom Alive!" she informed them, angry at the treatment of it. Amanda scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Of course it's alive! It doesn't need the sorcerer's stone! And I'm going to be its new owner!" Amanda grinned in anticipation.

"Its choice?" Akko hissed. Amanda blinked and then grinned.

"Like it would want anything else! It's rebellious! It would bond great with a rebellious rider who understands it." Amanda explained to her, shrugging. She approached the case and knocked on it. The case's—the cage, Akko growled—response was another shake, startling the bi-colored haired girl. Akko glanced between Amanda and the Shooting Star.

"Should be free! Let it choose!" Akko shouted, and the three witches grimaced at her volume. Amanda glared at her.

"Hey, keep it down! I know you can't hear but you're going to wake up the town. Brooms are meant to be ridden—a broom without a rider is just ridiculous." Amanda whispered loudly. Akko's cheeks flushed brightly in fury, her fists clenched at her sides when she read Amanda's lips. "Now undo the wards before you take it out."

Akko's eye twitched. She felt blood on her palms from how deep her nails were pressing. She whipped her head to glare at Constanze.

"You know? Don't like your cage—think broom likes it?" Akko snarled at the small girl. Constanze's eyes widened a fraction at the way Akko addressed her, the open scorn from someone who was so friendly with her earlier a shock. "Coward! Break free! Broom like us! Can free it like us!" Akko yelled, making sure she was as loud as she could be.

"Quiet!" Amanda hissed. Jasminka just surveyed the situation worriedly. The cage rattled even louder now, seeming to rally at Akko's words. Amanda brought out her wand to protect themselves in case the broom broke out. Akko gritted her teeth, wanting the cage to shatter, and the energy zapped towards her finger tips.

"BREAK" Akko signed. The cage shattered. The shrill sound of the alarm blared.

"No!" Amanda cried, casting up a shield to keep Jasminka, Constanze, and herself safe. The Shooting Star shot out like a bullet, dragging its cage with it. The chain caught Akko, and she was yanked screaming outside into the sky with the Shooting Star.

"Ugh! Come on! We gotta go after that broom!" Amanda urged them. However, as she ran for the doorway in pursuit, robots blocked her path. Amanda whipped her head around to look at Constanze in flabbergasted.

"No. We flee before cops show up." The bot spoke for Constanze. Amanda gawked as Jasminka looked at Constanze curiously. The alarms were shrill around them. Then they caught wind of sirens approaching.

"Argh! Fine! Let's go!" Amanda conceded. They quickly fled the magic shop.

* * *

Akko clung onto the chain for dear life. The wind was violently whipping against her face like a cold slap over and over. She yelped at the speed and altitude they were going. Akko gazed up at the Shooting Star increasing speed.

"Stop!" Akko cried. The broom simply went faster, the chain swinging widely. Akko shouted as she was flung up into the air and landed on the Shooting Star, the chain snapping off right after she let go of it. She clutched the head clamp tightly, heart beating erratically in her chest.

"Please stop!" Akko begged. Then she glared in determination, positioning herself as shown to her in class, and tried commanding the broom to yield to her.

Yet, the velocity of the Shooting Star was so intense that the head clamp couldn't endure her holding onto it. Akko's eyes widened in panic while she watched helplessly while the head clamp breaking apart. Everything went in slow motion then until everything sped up and she was tossed into the air, plunging towards the ground screaming at the top of her lungs.

However, her fall was cut short as a hand grabbed her, her body recoiling harshly. Her eyes were clenched tight, not bearing to watch herself come closer and closer to the ground. Noticing she wasn't falling anymore, she cracked her eyes open hesitantly before they snapped open at the realization she was saved. She turned her head and ruby met aquamarine.

"Daiyana!" Akko cried happily. Diana held her wrist tightly, smiling down at her in relief. Sucy and Lotte were also there, hastily flying to her assist her in getting on Diana's broom. Once settled, Akko clutched Diana snuggly around the waist.

"Akko! You're safe!" Lotte signed. Akko nodded, still shaken from her near-death experience.

"We should take her back to the dorm." Sucy advised.

"One moment. I would like a word with those three." Diana hissed, zeroing in on Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka below. Lotte took Akko onto her broom, so Diana could pursue them, Sucy quickly following while Lotte went slower for Akko's sake.

Amanda yelped when Diana landed right in front of her, not expecting Luna Nova's Pride and Joy to be staring at her with her coldest stare.

"What are you three doing out so late?" Diana demanded. Amanda tried to play it cool.

"Could say the same for you, Princess, but then again I guess we all don't get special privileges." Amanda jabbed. Vines launched from the ground, capturing her, making the bi-colored haired girl exclaim, "What the hell?!"

"Answer her." Sucy commanded, storing the remaining potion contents in her pocket.

"You were the ones that kidnapped Akko!" Lotte arrived, Birdy-san pointing at them accusingly from her head. Diana and Sucy's glares were like ice, and the Green Team gulped when their gazes were directed at them.

"You make it sound so criminal—we more borrowed her…" Amanda tried to explain, but the vines tightened. "C-Constanze! Get me out of here!"

"You kinda deserve it." Constanze's bot spoke. Jasminka nodded. A vein throbbed on Amanda's temple.

"H-Hey don't you two try to pin this one on me!" Amanda protested.

"Then who's idea was it?!" Diana snarled. Sucy's eye glinted and the vines encased Amanda even more.

"Please excuse Amanda." Jasminka implored, not snacking for once. "We went along with it, so we would all like to take responsibility."

"I see." Diana said. "So, you three would like a punishment together. Is that it?"

"What?! No way!" Amanda whined, struggling against the vines. "Diana, don't you dare do anything to Jasminka and Constanze!"

"Why should we spare them when you took one of our teammates and didn't give her any courtesy?" Sucy asked. Amanda glared.

"Because it was my idea! They went along with it cause they're my friends!" Amanda exclaimed. "I won't let my teammates suffer for something I did!"

"Enough!" Akko signed, stepping in front of Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka, shielding them from her friends. "It's fine! They didn't hurt me!" she hand gestured.

"Akko, they kidnapped you!" Lotte protested, signing and speaking so everyone else could understand. "What if they do it again?"

"They won't." Akko promised signing. "They just wanted to win some stupid broom rally and needed me to steal the Shooting Star broom." She signed. Lotte translated.

"Steal?!" Diana exclaimed. She zeroed in on the Green Team. "You were planning to cheat!"

"Cheating is a strong word. I would say more of bending the rules." Amanda grinned. Diana's eye twitched, readying her wand to blast Amanda, but Akko stopped her.

"No more." Akko commanded with a firm tone. One of Constanze's bots approached her and handed her a communicator.

"This is one of Constanze's coms. She wants you to have it in case you are ever in trouble and need us as penance for kidnapping you." Jasminka said. Lotte signed for Akko what Jasminka said. Akko nodded, clutching the com close to her. She walked over to Constanze, who gazed at her in return.

 _Sorry. You were right._ Constanze wrote on her board. Akko smiled, reading Constanze's words. She signed and spoke.

"Thank you."

"Akko, are you sure?" Diana signed. Akko nodded. Diana sighed, giving a glare to the Green Team. Sucy released Amanda. "You're free to go."

"Sweet! Thanks a lot Miss Sign Caster! I knew we'd grow on you!" Amanda looped an arm around Akko, who had a vein throb at her temple at the fact that Amanda was being so touchy with her after she put her through crap. She maneuvered out of Amanda's hold.

"We will keep quiet about Sign Casting." Constanze's robot promised.

"Yeah, we won't tell anyone." Jasminka agreed.

"I guess I'm outnumbered." Amanda picked her ear and sighed. "Fine! We'll keep quiet about your little project! I do illegal stuff all the time, so I can't really judge." Amanda shrugged. "Anyways, I don't need a special broom to beat you Diana! I'll thrash you with my own skills!" Amanda proclaimed, placing her hands on her hips proudly. Diana gave her a dead pan stare.

"Please go away." The blonde stated.

Jasminka, Amanda, and Constanze waved as they retreated. Diana, Sucy, Lotte, and Akko watched them go, happy the ordeal was over. Akko jumped when Diana, Sucy, and Lotte directed their sharp gazes at her.

"Akko, how did they kidnap you?" Lotte signed and spoke. Akko answered, not knowing what was with them.

"They sent a glow to our room and I followed it and they set up a trap." She signed. Lotte translated. Sucy's eye widened.

"Why would you follow something that was so obviously a trap?" Sucy demanded. Since it was dark, it was hard to read lips unless she was close to them, so Lotte signed the whole conversation to make sure Akko understand.

"I thought it was the Shiny Rod trying to talk to me." Akko signed, not liking the expression on their faces.

"Then why not take Shiny Rod with you? Why leave yourself defenseless?" Sucy countered, placing her hands at her hips. When Lotte signed out Sucy's words, Akko sweat dropped.

"Right… that is a good point." Akko signed back.

"You have to be careful more, Akko." Diana signed and spoke. Akko narrowed her eyes.

"I'm not a kid! I know how to take care of myself!" Akko furiously signed. "I am not glass! You guys act like I can't take it, but I'm just like anyone else!" she gestured lividly.

"Akko… we don't do these things because we think you can't handle it." Lotte signed and spoke. "We care about you and want to shoulder your burdens as well. That's what friends do."

"You are our friend. We want us to be your strength just like you're ours." Diana spoke, Lotte signing for her. Diana walked closer, taking Akko's hand and intertwining their fingers. Akko was stunned.

"You're so dumb." Sucy complained, but she had a fond smile on her face, taking Akko's other hand. "You don't have to do it all alone anymore—that's what we mean when we show you we care. Don't forget it, dummy."

' _Not alone…'_ Akko thought, realizing that for once, she didn't always have to place everything on her own shoulders anymore. It wasn't just the memory and philosophy of Chariot's words keeping her company now. She could finally share her troubles. Back in Japan, she talked to people, but no one had really taken to her or her them despite their friendly deposition. A smile blossomed on her face, feeling warm.

' _I'm not alone anymore.'_

* * *

Holy crap! Over 6000 words! I'm so sorry for butchering the characters. I really hope this didn't decrease anyone's like for the story.

Please let me know what you think if you can!

Replies to Reviews

Egnarregnar- Thank you so much! I hope you didn't mind the character writing in this one!

DeGraphics Literature- Thank you so much for letting me use "Sign Casting"! It is such a good idea.

Namikaze Nara- Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it!


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